Alfred Gillett Trust

The Alfred Gillett Trust is an independent charity which safeguards a collection of over 100,000 museum objects and archive materials telling the stories of the Clarks shoemaking family and business, from its Quaker origins in Street to its position as a global brand.

Who was Alfred Gillett?

Alfred Gillett (1814-1904) was a cousin of the founders of C & J Clark. A quarryman by trade, Alfred Gillett retired to Overleigh House in Street and spent many years researching and excavating the Jurassic Ichthyosaur fossils for which Street in renowned. The museum includes a gallery dedicated to his fossil discoveries.

The Alfred Gillett Trust collections

Since the archive opened to researchers in 2012 the collections have informed academic and research partnerships, including loans to museums such as the London Transport Museum and the Fashion Museum. The collections preserve a unique history of British working life and the evolution of a brand that put Street on the global stage.  In 2021 the Trust purchased the heritage collections of C & J Clark to ensure these important stories and heritage are protected and shared for generations to come. In 2025 the Alfred Gillett Trust took the next step creating Shoemakers Museum to share at least some of these unique collections with the public through permanent exhibitions, temporary displays, archive tours, and outreach. The new Shoemakers Museum opened its doors to the public  in September 2025.

Discover the history of shoemaking in Street

Take a journey through 200 years of social and industrial change through the footsteps of the people and the business behind the global shoemaking brand

200 years of history

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Object story

The Jamaica Desert Trek Book

Circa 2009

The company began exporting to Jamaica as early as 1911, but in 1960s men’s crepe-soled footwear, took off fuelling a lasting tradition of desert boots in Jamaica. This distinctive Jamaican style has crossed continents informing fashions from UK Mods and Britpop to the US rap scene. Rude Boys love Clarks!

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Your contribution great or small helps us to add the finishing touches to the new museum and improve our visitor offer.

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