Did you know that Street had electricity before Bristol? In this and many ways, it is a unique village, not only due to its size - it is the largest in the county - but also in the way its heritage has shaped its fortunes.
At one end of the village lies the C & J Clark distribution centre, an impressive, modern building, which contrasts with the shoe manufacturing company’s old headquarters in the centre of Street.
It’s unusual to find a global company still on its original headquarters site. The frontage to the HQ and the old factory is an archway with a clock tower, built in 1887 and designed by the architect George Skipper. He was also responsible for several arts and crafts buildings in Wilfrid Road, built as homes for factory workers, and Crispin Hall, which opened in 1885 and is another legacy of the Clark family.
Brothers Cyrus and James Clark founded the shoemaking firm in 1825. By 1860 Clarks was making a quarter of a million shoes yearly and was employing 900 people. The factory was popular, drawing workers from other parts of the country due to good working conditions – all thanks to the Clark family and their Quaker influence. Caring for workers and giving back to the community was key to the business, which became hugely influential in the village. Crispin Hall was built as a cultural centre, combining a public hall, library, reading room and later a gymnasium.
The investment in the village continued over the centuries with Alice Clark gifting an outdoor swimming pool in 1937, the Greenbank lido is as popular as ever, and Strode Theatre was built in 1963 through a donation from the Clark Foundation Charitable Trust.
The full impact of the Clarks legacy, which stretches back nearly 200 years, can be discovered at the Alfred Gillett Trust.
This story is from the January 2020 edition of Somerset Life.
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This story is from the January 2020 edition of Somerset Life.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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