Leather Naturally caught up with leather designer Lauren Broxton, who has been campaigning to keep the Walsall Leather Museum open in its current location. See what this victory means for her, the local community, and the leather sector in general.
It’s exciting to hear that the Walsall Leather Museum in the UK is no longer facing relocation. You have been campaigning for the museum not to relocate. Can you tell me more about how and where did this story start?
It is indeed great news and a real milestone achievement in our long campaign to save the museum, which has spread across two years! It started quietly around July 2024 – I’d begun to hear noise and word on the ground across the Walsall business community that the council were planning to close and ‘relocate’ the museum, handing the building and land over to the college. Back then – and this is something we’ve heard constantly throughout the campaign – I was told “it’s a done deal, don’t try and do anything about it – you can’t do anything”, which is really concerning, given that this decision to dispose a heritage asset hadn’t even gone out to a public consultation yet. The theme of contentious decision making and undue democratic process is one that played out heavily across the campaign – and I would advise anyone who ever has to fight a similar fight in the future to really hone in on processes, reports and how decisions are made.
After the initial chatter on the ground, it’s something I kept my eye on – seeing it come up for consultation in the autumn and then eventually announced as an item on the budget review later in January 2025. That was the moment I knew I had to act. The campaign started quite organically at first, with me making as much noise as I could across my social platforms and professional networks, rallying local community, industry and academia to mobilise against the decision. The more I shouted, the more people came to the fold, until eventually we had an organised and functioning campaign, with different people all bringing their own expertise to it. It’s been exhausting and we really have been relentless but it just goes to show what can be achieved when people pull together and work constructively.
Why is the Leather Museum so important to Walsall and its stakeholder community?
The town was built on its legacy in leather, with lorinery (fancy equine metalworking) emerging as a major trade in the 17th & 18th centuries, followed by the growth of saddlery in the 19th century, where it became a global leader in leather goods manufacturing. The golden age that it enjoyed in the late 1800s saw around 10,000 people employed in the leather trade and associated industries, continuing into the 20th century as the eminent source of work for people in the area. It’s a magnificent history that many of those in the community feel so connected to because it is inherently with us; most of our families would have worked ‘in the leather’; many living custodians worked in the trade all of their lives. It’s a real source of pride that sets us apart from neighbouring towns in heavy industries at the heart of the industrial revolution – the fineness and romance of leatherworking, supplying royalty over centuries.
Sadly, like many post-industrial towns, we’ve also experienced a real decline over the decades since de-industrialisation – jobs slipping away, firms going under, and sadly with much of our built heritage quite literally burning to the ground. Although there are around 50 leather businesses still operating in the area, we’ve gone from one of the most affluent towns in the Black Country to one of the top 10 most deprived places in the UK.
The pride we hear our elders speak of has somewhat dwindled – you don’t grow up proud to be from Walsall anymore – the museum represents that last standing bastion of a proud heritage that makes us who we are. By pouring the same energy and effort that we did with the campaign into the future of the museum and leatherworking skills – I think we can get back there. We all need a bit of time to heal after what we’ve been subject to over the years though.
What is your relationship with the museum?
The museum has been a crucial part of my journey as a designer – I probably didn’t realise it at the time; you only really see that in retrospect. It’s a part of everyone’s lives here in Walsall though – it’s everyone’s first school trip if you grow up in the borough, and a real community base that delivers accessible craft activities throughout the year. As a child, I spent many school holidays at the museum on some of the craft programmes – whether that was leather, ceramics, or other arts & crafts activities. My friend’s mom used to run the café there so we would attend the programmes whilst she went to work and I just have the fondest memories of making things there and running around the courtyard in the summer. Again, like many post-industrial, working class towns, you aren’t encouraged to go into the arts as a viable career path – so having initiatives like these make such a huge difference to children growing up in areas like Walsall.
As I’ve grown, it’s always been at the centre of my practice. I was always using leather in my projects since I first started my studies and practice in fashion at Walsall College. With it being on the doorstep, I could always run in to study the collections, get advice on suppliers, be connected with other designers and leather companies. It remained that way throughout my time at Birmingham City University, where I decided to specialise in leather. With a shortage of specialists working across education, it was a god send in that I could access skills, knowledge and cultural references very easily. It still remains at the core of my practice – before it closed this year, I was in there 2-3 times a week and always took my own university cohorts to conduct research there.
What are you hoping to see happen now with the museum over the short and long term?
I think many of us are of the opinion that it shouldn’t just be a case of ‘shove all the collections back in and continue as normal.’ The museum was already a dynamic place but sadly it was starved of investment and marketing over the good part of a decade, so it had extremely limited opportunities to grow and really fulfil its potential. Decision makers now need to navigate the future of the museum carefully – pulling in adequate investment, funding and business modelling required to position itself as a premier institution for social history, leather heritage and skills development. The museum protects vital parts of our past and shared UK wide leather heritage – the challenge now is to connect it to the future of the leather industry.
Throughout the campaign, we’ve always positioned the museums offering around three main pillars: industry, academia and community. I maintain that these provide a steady focus that can help to pivot the museum towards its future. We talk of building communities around craft but it is also our duty to empower and protect the interests of existing communities such as those in Walsall: we shouldn’t have to fight this hard for something that is written into our cultural heritage. By bringing industry and academic interests into the equation not only makes room for viable economic benefits, it also provides a real basis for social mobility by equipping under-served communities with the skills, knowledge and networks to succeed.
It’s not going to be a straight path forward but I believe by working with decision makers and bringing in partners from industry, education, business, and the third sector, we can establish an institution that will keep it thriving and protected for the long term. Although, the campaign team is still working hard to ensure that we establish proper policy, protocol and process to counter the latter.
Is there anything you would like to share with the leather industry about the museum?
Those who have been involved in the leather industry over generations will be more aware of Walsall’s legacy as one of the major historic contributors to the industry. To those who have joined in more recent years, I can understand why it might sometimes go unrecognised due to a lack of awareness over the years. I hope that this campaign has really shone a light on and acquainted new and young leatherworkers to the cultural heritage and relevance of Walsall.
The museum has always been a remarkably special place – you can see that just from the exterior and the surroundings – it’s a unique Victorian façade resisting the pull of contemporary growth and development. Amidst the cladded buildings and symbols of modern life that it physically sits between, it almost has this appeal of survival. I think we are moving back to a time where we want to hold onto and pursue the tangible against the pull of technological advances. The museum has always provided just that.
I hope that, as we navigate the difficult period ahead, and build upon the voices and visibility of the campaign, that people will see the value in the museum and come to visit when it re-opens again, that the industry will recognise what an important part of our shared leather heritage the museum represents and how it can play a crucial part in strategically moving forward as a sector. I hope that we won’t be forgotten. Though I don’t think we will – I’m really quite loud when I need to be.