About Us
Find out how a family brand became a global story. A remarkable journey with over 100,000 objects to explore from fossils to factory machines covering 200 years of shoemaking history.
About Shoemakers Museum
Shoemakers Museum is a new visitor experience opening to the public in September 2025. Celebrating 200 years of shoemaking history through the eyes of the shoemakers, telling the stories behind Clarks shoes in the place where it all began in Street, Somerset.
A remarkable collection of over 100,000 objects, highlights of which will be on display in the museum’s four galleries: Welcome to Street, Making shoes, Selling and buying, and Fossils.
Most people will have a memory of their favourite shoes and Shoemakers Museum is a new destination for visitors to meet the makers and celebrate and share their stories.
Discover the history of Clarks shoes
Somerset was once the largest producer of footwear in Britain and the Quaker family business Clarks was at the forefront. The first Brown Petersberg slippers were created in Street in 1825. Over the decades C&J Clark factories grew in number and the footwear they produced became a feature of British culture from our first fitted shoes and daily work wear to the Northern Soul dancefloors of the 1960s and Britpop scene of the 90’s. Production moved outside of the UK as UK industry declined, however the headquarters remain in Street. Today the collections of the Alfred Gillett Trust tell a unique 200 year history of the Street-based business and its global impact.
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The Alfred Gillett Trust
The Alfred Gillett Trust is a registered charity that cares for the Clark’s family collections and Quaker archives. In 2021 the Trust purchased the Clarks Shoes corporate collections of the creating a unique archive of British business history. After many years of preparation planning permission was granted for a museum in 2023. Shoemakers Museum has been created and will open to the public in September 2025 making these unique collections public.
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Collection
Brown Petersburgh
Clarks began making slippers called the ‘Brown Petersburgh’ as a side project to their sheepskin rug business. Made by hand using off-cuts of sheep fleece, these cosy affordable slippers became popular and were the foundation of C&J Clarks footwear business.
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Collection
Crispin Sewing Machine
The 1863 Crispin Sewing Machine was an Innovation in Sole Stitching
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Collection
Latin Verse Machine
‘Eureka’ is a marvellous machine which creates Latin poetry. This remarkable invention was created by Bridgwater eccentric John Clark (1785-1853)
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Collection
Fossils
An internationally important collection of Jurassic fossils collected by Alfred Gillett, a member of the Clark family, and members of the 19th century Somerset Archaeological Society.
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On permanent display
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Support us
Can you help put the finishing touches to Shoemakers Museum? From developing our education services to creating our gardens and grounds your donation will help create an experience to remember.
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