The Shoe Museum facts for kids
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| Established | 1951 |
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| Dissolved | 27 September 2019 |
| Location | Street, Somerset, England |
The Shoe Museum was a special place in Street, England. It showed off shoes from ancient Roman times all the way to today! It also told the amazing story of the Clark family and their famous shoe company, C. & J. Clark. This museum helped people understand how shoes were made and how the town of Street grew because of shoemaking. The museum closed its doors on September 27, 2019.
Contents
Exploring The Shoe Museum
The Shoe Museum in Street, Somerset, was a fascinating place. It displayed many different shoes. These shoes dated from the time of the Romans up to modern days. The museum also shared the history of the Clark family. They were important in developing shoemaking in the town.
The Clark Family and Their Company
The Clark family started making slippers, shoes, and boots in Street in the 1820s. Their company, C. & J. Clark, grew very quickly. By the 1860s, they began using machines to make shoes. This made production much faster. The company continued making shoes in Street until after the year 2000. After that, they moved their production to factories in other countries, mostly in Asia.
Helping the Community
In the 1800s, the Clark family had strong Quaker values. This meant they believed in helping others. They used some of their company's money to improve the town of Street. They started a school so young people could work and still learn. They also opened a theatre and built a library. An outdoor swimming pool, called Greenbank, and a town hall were also built. The C. & J. Clark company still has its main office in Street today. Their office building has a famous clock tower and water tower. In 1993, old factory buildings were turned into a shopping area called Clarks Village.
What Was Inside the Museum?
The Shoe Museum first opened in 1951. It was made bigger in 1974 to show even more. It had examples of shoes from 200 years of the company's history. Visitors could see old machines used to make shoes. There were also old advertisements from the 1930s, 1950s, and 1960s. Even some old television commercials were on display. The museum also featured a special machine called the Latin Verse Machine. This machine was built in the 1830s by John Clark, a cousin of the company founders. It could create poetry!
The Museum's Closure and Future
The Shoe Museum closed to the public on September 27, 2019. All the shoes and other items from the museum were moved. They went to a nearby place called the Alfred Gillett Trust. This trust helps to look after important historical items. In September 2023, plans were approved to build a brand new shoe museum. This new museum will be right next to the Alfred Gillett Trust.
See also
- Concealed shoes
