Alfred Gillett Trust Twilight Talks at The Grange
Through 2018, the Alfred Gillett Trust will be hosting a series of Twilight Talks set in the historic Grade II listed Grange in Street. The free 1-hour presentations will give you a chance to learn more about the fascinating hidden histories unearthed by the Trust’s curators and archivists. Talks will be for a maximum of 1 hour, with opportunities to ask questions throughout.
The Clarks Point of Sale collection dates back to the 1840s and covers anything that would have enticed consumers to walk into a shoe shop to try on, and buy Clarks shoes. Learn about this vast collection, the artists and photographers that created them, the celebrity endorsements and how the collection continues to inspire, teach and engage researchers.
Eccentric inventor John Clark astounded London when he exhibited his unique ‘Latin Verse Machine’ in 1845. A curious mixture of mathematical precision and engineering genius, Eureka is capable of creating over 26 million lines of Latin poetry.
Over the last 3 years a dedicated team of museum superheroes has been working to digitise our collection of thousands of historic shoes, some dating back to the Roman period. Although their work is far from over, the team are ready to share their experiences, reflecting on the highlights and challenges of a demanding project.
Charting 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.
Explore the hidden stories buried in our unique historic footwear collection with this talk about the use of wood to create shoes throughout history. Find out what we can learn from traditional footwear we take for granted and see some of the spectacular results from our footwear digitisation project!
Alfred Gillett Trust 