Walsall Leather Museum is located in Walsall

Walsall

Walsall is a large industrial town in the West Midlands of England. It is located northwest of Birmingham and east of Wolverhampton. Historically a part of Staffordshire, Walsall is a component area of the West Midlands conurbation and part of the Black Country.Walsall is the administrative...

, in the West Midlands

West Midlands (county)

The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a 2009 estimated population of 2,638,700. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The...

 in England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, and was opened in 1988 on the site of a Victorian

Victorian architecture

The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...

 leather

Leather

Leather is a durable and flexible material created via the tanning of putrescible animal rawhide and skin, primarily cattlehide. It can be produced through different manufacturing processes, ranging from cottage industry to heavy industry.-Forms:...

 factory, renovated by Walsall Council. It tells the story of the Walsall leather trades, and in particular the rise of Walsall from an obscure Midlands town into an international saddle

Saddle

A saddle is a supportive structure for a rider or other load, fastened to an animal's back by a girth. The most common type is the equestrian saddle designed for a horse, but specialized saddles have been created for camels and other creatures...

-making centre.

The Industry

In 1900, at the peak of the industry, approximately 10,000 people were employed locally in preparing leather, and making saddles, horse bridles and related leather items. It is estimated that there are still at least 40 manufacturers of saddles and bridles in the town, as well as a number of makers of bags and light leathergoods, including three Royal Warrant

Royal Warrant

Royal warrants of appointment have been issued for centuries to those who supply goods or services to a royal court or certain royal personages. The warrant enables the supplier to advertise the fact that they supply to the royal family, so lending prestige to the supplier...

 holders.

Exhibitions

Exhibits in the museum include a range of Walsall-made leathergoods, from saddles to gloves, bags, shoes, and leather fashion accessories. A 'contemporary design' section in the museum showcases the work of designers working with leather today. Leather crafts traditional to Walsall are demonstrated within the museum's workshops by a team of experienced skilled craftsmen and women. Visitors will experience the complex range of skills and proccesses that are required to create a variety of leather goods, many of which are still produced today.

The museum also houses a research library of specialist works on the subject of the leather craft and industry.

See also

• Igualada Leather Museum
  Igualada Leather Museum
  The Igualada Leather Museum , located in Igualada, Catalonia, was created in 1954 and was the first leather museum in Spain, and the third one in Europe...
  
  
• German Leather Museum
  German Leather Museum
  The German Leather Museum , located in Offenbach, Hesse, Germany, is one of the largest leather museums in the world. It has a wide variety leather items, including some exhibits, which are believed to more than 3,000 years old...