Shoemakers Museum
Bringing a shoe-treasure trove to life
Comprising a Grade II listed manor house, a new two-storey building, and a glulam link between the two, the Shoemakers Museum is dedicated to the heritage collections of C & J Clark. Held by the Alfred Gillett Trust, the collections celebrate 200 years of the renowned shoemakers' history.
Besides the exhibition itself, the Museum includes education and learning spaces, archives, a shop and a café.
The design and construction of the new timber building represented our main focus for this project, together with drainage and sustainability.
Project Lead
- Location Somerset
- Client Alfred Gillett Trust
- Completion 2025
Building anew
Working closely with Purcell Architects, we developed the design for a solid timber superstructure formed primarily from Cross-Laminated Timber, with localised areas of load bearing masonry and reinforced concrete. To this, we added a stone arcade and feature brickwork detailing, with 13 corbel steps to form a dynamic and striking exterior.
The introduction of new builds to the manor house involved structural openings, floor strengthening, validation of basement vaults and new structures to support modern services.
Low impact scheme
A focus on sustainability and low impact construction informed the entire scheme. Besides the use of low impact timber, investigative works and careful assessment allowed for the re-use of existing basement foundations.
Drainage improvements
We also worked on improving the existing drainage network, which showed signs of incorrect falls and uncontrolled surface water discharge into a foul mains. Significant hydraulic modelling and design work were necessary to ensure adequate SUDs drainage, including controlled discharge to a culvert.
