Episode 81. The Shoemakers Museum

SYNOPSIS

Having established its heartlands in the North of England in the seventeenth century, Quakerism spread to other parts of the country very quickly, and by the mid 1700s the Clark family had established themselves as farmers in the agricultural South-West at Street, Somerset, near Glastonbury. In the 1820s Cyrus and his younger brother James went into partnership as producers of sheepskin rugs. In a moment of business brilliance, James realized that some of the off-cuts could be used to create footwear. By 1842 the first Clark shoes, slippers called ‘Brown Petersburghs,’ were averaging 1,000 sales per month.

The interview covers the evolution of the Clark business from outworking (or home-based manufacturing) to the introduction of machinery within factories from the 1860s, whilst maintaining the focus on attractive, stitched shoes.. As production was scaled up and foreign markets explored, the Clarks were able to express their Quaker ethos by ploughing profits into housing, education and amenities in the town.

Business Archivist, Dr Tim Crumplin brings out some of the surprising variations in the Clarks business model. In the post-war UK, it developed products that emphasized foot health in children, gaining a reputation for well-made if “sensible” shoes. By contrast In the Caribbean, Clarks became the go-to footwear in “rude boy” or dance hall culture. And in the critically-acclaimed crime drama, Breaking Bad, Walter White’s pilgrimage from struggling chemistry teacher to meth kingpin is walked in his Clarks Wallabees.

GUESTS

Dr Tim Crumplin is the Business Archivist at the Shoemakers Museum in Street, Somerset. After doctoral studies in economic history, Tim was recruited to write up the business history of the Clark Family and its shoe-making using its extensive archives, which includes 25,000 pairs of shoes. Commissioned by the Alfred Gillett Trust, the new museum building, which houses four permanent galleries, was opened in September 2025 to celebrate the town’s 200-year history as the home of Clarks shoes.

Arrangements for visiting the Shoemakers Museum can be made by visiting its website.

Simon’s interview with Tim Crumplin was recorded at the Shoemakers Museum on 13 January 2026.