Shoemakers Museum

A carefully crafted dialogue between past and present

Introduction

Designed by Purcell, the new Shoemakers Museum is a striking piece of contemporary architecture that celebrates the 200-year legacy of Clarks shoes while innovating in structure, materiality, and sustainability.

Commissioned by the Alfred Gillett Trust, the museum brings together a vast collection of shoes, fossils, and industrial heritage into a purpose-built space that re-establishes a cultural and civic anchor for the town.

Weaving together three distinct narratives

From the outset, the ambition was for the museum to embody the layered history of Street and Clarks. The design weaves together three interconnected narratives through materiality:

Geological Heritage

Blue Lias stone, quarried locally and containing fossil traces, grounds the building in the same earth that yielded Alfred Gillett’s ichthyosaur finds in the 19th century. More than 70% of this stone was salvaged and redressed on site, reducing embodied carbon and preserving a visible connection to place.

Architectural Heritage

The museum stitches together previously disconnected listed buildings, creating a continuous public realm and revitalising Street’s ‘green heart’ after decades of fragmentation caused by factory and retail development.

Design Language of Clarks

The building’s brick detailing references signature elements from Clarks shoes, including perforations, pinked edges, and visible stitching. In this way, the façade itself becomes an exhibit, showcasing the brand’s identity before visitors enter.

"Thoughtfully designed by Purcell, Shoemakers Museum is housed in a unique and beautiful building. The exterior is striking, whilst the interior provides the ideal home for our collections. We are delighted to be open to the public and to have the opportunity to share the story of 200 years of shoemaking with the world."

– Rosie Martin, Director, Shoemakers Museum

"Our goal was to create a building that feels deeply rooted in its heritage while responding to an inspiring brief from a wonderful client team. The museum is conceived firstly as a place for the people of Street, that celebrates the enduring story of Clarks shoes and displays its legacy in a way that is joyful, authentic and engaging."

– Alasdair Ferguson, Senior Architect, Purcell

“This is a museum about people - their craft, their community and the shoes that became part of life’s biggest milestones. Whether you remember your first Clarks or you’re discovering their story for the first time, we can’t wait to welcome you."

– Rosie Martin, Director, Shoemakers Museum

Innovation and Experimentation

One of the project’s most significant technical achievements is the development of a timber–concrete composite (TCC) flooring system.

This combines cross-laminated timber (CLT) with a thin concrete topping, delivering extended structural spans compared to standard CLT alone, superior acoustic performance suitable for museum environments, and improved fire resistance that meets stringent public building standards.

This hybrid approach addresses the limitations traditionally associated with timber construction while maintaining the sustainability benefits of CLT sourced from responsibly managed forests. Glulam beams, sourced within the UK to minimise transport carbon, further contribute to the low-carbon structural strategy.

Sustainability

The museum was designed with a fabric-first approach and prioritises whole-life carbon performance over short-term certification.

The sustainability strategy had to navigate the dual challenge of conserving listed buildings while achieving high performance standards. Bespoke approaches to material salvage, hybrid timber-concrete solutions, and innovative brick detailing all contributed to reducing embodied and operational carbon.

Funding the project required creative solutions: it was delivered through self-funding and rigorous value engineering. This limitation reinforced the design ethos: durable materials, adaptable spaces, and genuine sustainability took precedence over short-term certification goals. The funding approach itself reflects the same values of quality, practicality, and ethical practice that have defined Clarks for 200 years.

Sustainable materials

70%

re-use of blue lias stone salvaged on site

100%

of energy requirements at peak (PV arrays)

LETI A

rating for whole-life carbon and EPC A-3 operational rating

Community and Cultural Impact

The Shoemakers Museum is more than a collection of shoes and fossils. It is a new civic space, designed to reconnect Street with its industrial heritage and celebrate the town’s history and identity.

At its heart is a permanent home for 25,000 pairs of shoes, charting Clarks’ journey from early Quaker beginnings to a global brand. Alongside them sit internationally significant ichthyosaur fossils, physically linking the geological with the industrial and reminding visitors that Street’s story is one that reaches back through the ages. The new galleries and learning spaces invite hands-on discovery and have been designed to inspire a new generation of designers, historians, and researchers.

For the local community, the museum preserves the stories of generations of Street families employed by Clarks, strengthening a sense of pride and continuity. The museum stands as a physical connection between the town’s past and future, reconnecting the historically significant site to the town centre after decades of disconnection following factory development and later retail transformation.

‘This brave project adds memorability and meaning to Clarks Village’ – John Jervis, RIBA J

The Shoemakers Museum preserves Street’s collective memory, revitalises its town centre, and embodies technical innovation in sustainable design and craft.

For Purcell, it exemplifies heritage-led innovation, balancing conservation, sustainability, and community value to create a building that is both of its time and deeply rooted in its context.