What’s On

June

• Thursday 2nd June: Whispering Willows outdoor theatre performance by Wassail Theatre

July

• Friday 22nd July:  Tales from 1001 Arabian Nights by Taunton Thespians

September

• Friday 9th – Sunday 18th September: Heritage Open Days

Vaccination centre

The Grange will be hosting the NHS throughout May as a vaccination centre. The sessions will be focussing on the Springtime Boosters for the Over 75s, however, booking is open via the NHS booking website.

The next dates will be:

Tuesday 10 May

Thursday 12 May

Tuesday 17 May PM only

Thursday 19 May

Sunday 22 May (10am until 4pm only)

Tuesday 24 May

Thursday 26May

Tuesday 31May

The centre will be open from 9am until 5pm every day, unless otherwise stated above.

Any queries about this centre should be directed to the NHS. Unfortunately, the Alfred Gillett Trust is not able to offer vaccination advice.

Please visit the NHS website to book your appointment.

There is no parking at the Grange itself, however, the Grange is a 1-minute walk from Car Park 2 of Clarks Village which has accessible spaces near to the Village entrance for you to park in and a public car park. There are public toilets available at the entrance to Clarks Village and on-site at the Grange. There are no steps to access the Grange, which is fully accessible for the vaccination centre. There is a gravel drive, however, rubber matting has been laid for wheelchair accesss.

There is strictly no access off Farm Road/Barn Close. Access is only via the front of the Grange which can be found opposite the food court of Clarks Village (Frankie and Benny’s, Pret, GBK, Etc.) via the car park off the A39. From the car park (Clarks Village Car Park 2), you will see a green metal double gate with purple signs either side saying ‘Alfred Gillett Trust’.  If you have any queries, you should come to the reception area on site or contact the NHS.

Past Exhibitions & Events

Following the ‘Magic Steps’ of the Clarks Point of Sale collection

Our Assistant Curator, Karina Virahsawmy, has worked on the Point of Sale collection from the beginning of her AGT journey. Let her take you through the ‘Magic Steps’ of cataloguing and digitising such a unique and large collection; showcasing prominent artists and photographers, well known Clarks shoe ranges, and firm family favourites.

Wooden Wonders

Take a trip around the world and throughout history to discover how the seemingly ordinary material of wood has been used to create extraordinary footwear with Rebecca Wormald. Furthermore, uncover how wooden soled footwear have inspired some, at times, unusual traditions.

Clarks of Street, Family, Company and Community 1725 – 2005

Join Dr. Tim Crumplin as he charts the origins of the Clark family and their beginnings in Street during the 18th century, this talk will concentrate on the commercial and social influences the Quaker business of C. & J. Clark had upon the town and its locality from the time of its founding (by brothers Cyrus and James Clark) in 1825, and through successive generations, to the start of the 21st century.

Eureka, the Victorian Automaton that creates poetry

The Latina Verse Machine, Eureka to her friends, is a one of a kind impressive feat of engineering, maths, poetry and sheer hard work and dedication by its inventor, John Clark.

This National Poetry Day, find out what inspired John Clark to create such a unique automaton and take a look at whether or not the poetry it created could hold its own with poetry of its day.

 Footwear in Focus

Over the last 7 years the Alfred Gillett Trust has been working to digitise its collection of over 25000 shoes, sandals, boots, slippers, clogs and other footwear, producing an archive of high-quality digital images. The collection is hugely diverse, ranging in date from the Roman period right up to the present day, and features the work of many different designers and manufacturers. For historical reasons, these objects have not always had the best of care; accordingly, the digitisation work has been integrated into a multidisciplinary project to assess, treat, redocument and rehouse the objects in line with current museum practice. Although the project is still under way, the Trust is very pleased with the work we have produced so far and want to share it. Please join Will Punter and Kieron Cheek as they present this short overview of some of the highlights and challenges they have encountered in working with this unique and fascinating collection.

8 March	Event: International Women’s Day
19 January 2020	Event: Traditional Somerset Wassail
28 Oct – 2 Nov 2019	Exhibition: Sea Dragons of Street
01-23 Oct	Exhibition: War without glamour: The Life and Legacy of Emily Hobhouse’s Peace Activism
16-20 Sep	Heritage Open Days Tour: Grange Tours (pre-bookable)
6 – 9 Aug 2019	Arts and Crafts: The World Comes to Street Community Art Project
7 Jun 2019	Performance: Library of Lost Memories – The Shoebox Theatre
4-18 May 2019	Installation art: Wildedges
4-18 May 2019	Exhibition: Street Arts Trail (various venues)
1-6 April 2019	Exhibition: Sea Dragons of Street
8 Mar 2019	Secrets of the Blue Stockings (International Women’s Day)
29 Oct – 3 Nov 2018	“Sea Dragons of Street” Fossil Exhibition
29 Oct – 3 Nov 2018	“Sea Dragons of Street” Half term Kid’s Craft Activities
6-16 Sep 2018	“Extraordinary Women” Archive Exhibition (Heritage Open Days)
6-16 Sep 2018	“Footwear in Focus” Photography Exhibition (Heritage Open Days)
16 Aug 2018	Twilight Talk: Wooden Wonders: Footwear Through The Ages
9-12 Aug 2018	Strode @ the Grange (Outdoor Cinema)
12 Jul 2018	Twilight Talk: Clarks of Street: Family, Company and Community 1723-2005
14 Jun 2018	Twilight Talk: Treading Carefully – Digitising and Preserving Historic Footwear
11 May 2018	Somerset Day
11 May 2018	To Stand and Stare: A Somerset Landscape
11-13 May 2018	Wildedges
12 Apr 2018	Twilight Talk: Eureka! The Victorian Automaton That Creates Poetry
15 Mar 2018	Twilight Talk: The Magic Steps of Clarks Point of Sale Collection: 1851 to the Present
19-24 Feb 2018	Sea Dragons of Street
2 Nov 2017	100 Years Since Women Got The Vote
23-30 Sep 2017	‘Lasts’ Art Installation – Somerset Art Weeks
23-30 Sep 2017	‘Golden Bough’ Art Installation – Somerset Art Weeks
7-10 Sep 2017	Heritage Open Days: Sea Dragons of Street exhibition
30 Jul 2017	Strode @ the Grange Outdoor Cinema: The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (12A)
29 Jul 2017	Strode @ the Grange Outdoor Cinema: Jurassic Park (PG)
28 Jul 2017	Strode @ the Grange Outdoor Cinema: Mamma Mia! (PG)
1 Jun 2017	“Surely You Would Be Happier Being a Nurse?” (International Women’s Day)
6 Apr 2017	“Feminism, Goddess Spirituality and Motherworld” (International Women’s Day)
7-11 Mar 2017	International Women’s Day