A new Shoemakers Museum is opening on 18 September, inviting guests to step inside 200 years of shoemaking history.
Opening seven days a week 10-5pm, online tickets are now on sale for the Museum, which is located in the village of Street in Somerset.
After extensive conservation and care a selection of iconic machines have been lifted into their gallery positions. They demonstrate the evolution of shoemaking and anyone with cordwaining experience may well recognise a few of them.
The Shoemakers Museum has been funded independently through generous private donations, grants from charitable trusts, and fundraising activities. The organisation’s crowdfunding has helped it to reach 98 per cent of the funds required with just the final touches, landscaping, and educational enhancements to go.
Although the crowdfunding campaign is complete, donations are still welcome and extra support “will be very welcome”, the Museum said.
There is also the Shoemakers Museum Café opening a few days ahead of the museum on 15 September and guests are invited to come along and enjoy a taste of Somerset and a preview of the refurbished Grange.
To mark the opening of the Museum, the venue is holding an evening of short talks celebrating the ‘soul’ of British shoemaking. Soul Stories: 200 years of shoemaking in Street is a free one-night only evening of talks diving into the heritage and craftmanship of shoemaking. This event takes place at Strode Theatre on 18 September at Strode College.
For more information you can visit: www.shoemakersmuseum.org.uk.
