Purcell completes the Shoemakers Museum: a new home for Clarks’ 200-year legacy and a civic anchor for the Somerset town of Street.
Purcell has completed the new Shoemakers Museum in Street, Somerset; a new cultural and civic anchor that celebrates the town’s 200-year history as the home of Clarks shoes. Commissioned by the Alfred Gillett Trust, the museum combines a 16th Century manor house, a 17th Century barn and a new playful brick intervention, housing four permanent galleries and bringing together a vast collection of shoes, fossils, and industrial heritage. The permanent exhibition and graphic design, wayfinding and shop design for the new museum were created by Nissen Richards Studio, who also wrote the exhibition text, working in close collaboration with the museum’s curatorial team.
The design and choice of materials reflect three intertwined narratives that embody the layered history of Street and Clarks: geological heritage; architectural heritage and the design language of Clarks.
Blue lias stone, quarried locally and containing fossil traces, grounds the building in the same strata 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.
Un urban terms, 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.
Finally, 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.
Purcell’s project architect, Alasdair Ferguson, explained: “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.”
One of the project’s most significant technical achievements is the development of a timber–concrete composite (TCC) flooring system. The system combines cross-laminated timber (CLT) with a thin concrete topping, delivering extended structural spans, superior acoustic performance and improved fire resistance.
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.
The museum’s east façade demonstrates an innovative technical solution in corbelled brickwork. Traditionally requiring complex temporary formwork, the Purcell team developed a bespoke system using screwed angles, resin anchors and helical ties. This allowed the brickwork to be constructed in three-row sections without temporary supports and resulted in reduced construction waste and energy compared with traditional formwork. Lime mortar used on all masonry to ensure bricks can be used at end of life – further reducing embodied carbon. The brickwork was executed by PJ Cooke, a local bricklayer and Street native, whose craftsmanship was critical in delivering the intricate patterns with precision. The complex geometric expression achieved using only 13 standard brick types, a testament to efficient design and craftsmanship.
The museum was designed with a fabric-first approach and prioritises whole-life carbon performance over short-term certification, achieving a LETI A rating for whole-life carbon and EPC A-3 operational rating. 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. Designed with generous spans and adaptable floorplates, the loose fit design allows for long-term flexibility. The use of natural hydraulic lime mortar (NHL) allows for future disassembly and reuse. All-electric systems anticipating grid decarbonisation and PV arrays providing 100% of energy requirements at peak.
Funding the project needed creative solutions – the project 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.
For Purcell, the project exemplifies the practice’s expertise in 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. It provides a permanent home for 25,000 shoes, spanning from Roman times to the present day, from Clarks’ early Quaker beginnings to its global brand status. It also houses internationally significant ichthyosaur fossils, physically linking the geological with the industrial and offers an educational hub for schools and universities, supporting studies in industrial heritage, design history, and palaeontology. With up to four million annual visitors to Clarks Village nearby, the museum is also positioned as a major cultural attraction, drawing new audiences into the authentic story behind one of Britain’s most enduring brands. As well as revitalising the town centre, Shoemakers Museum preserves Street’s collective memory, strengthening community identity by preserving the stories of generations of Street families employed by Clarks.
