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Traded Services > Venues > Walsall Leather Museum

Our service at a glance                   

We provide a social, local history museum about Walsall’s most famous trade and a variety of curriculum-linked activities for schools.

In our work we use the expertise of retired leather workers, who demonstrate their skills and lead sessions for us. We have:

  • Hands-on activities: learn through doing!
  • Risk assessed activities for children
  • We occupy a genuine Victorian factory building
  • We have fascinating displays of local interest
  • We have twice won the Sandford Award for museum education.
  • We offer a first person interpretation of Sister Dora, Walsall`s Florence Nightingale (KS2)
  • W can support the teaching of Fashion. We can draw upon the nationally significant Hodson Shop Collection of working class clothing and have reproduction clothing which children may wear
  • We have amended our sessions for younger children so that they can do more of the work themselves
  • We provide hands-on activities: children learn through doing!
  • We are child friendly
  • Our value for money is outstanding.
  • We have a coach bay
  • We have risk assessed activities and plentiful toilets
  • We support the teaching of the Romans, Vikings, Saxons, Victorians, British Values, Citizenship, KS 1 Science, Greeks, local history, fashion, D & T, Literacy, Maths and offer guided walks. There is so much!

New

Exciting news! The museum is to expand to show more of Walsall`s other trades. Don`t worry, the Leather Museum will continue, although possibly with a new name. Admission will be free!

An anti-bullying activity: making a leather heart, which children exchange with another child

We can host debates across the Key Stages: for example,  `Should children work?`;  `Should historic statues of now controversial figures be removed?`

We offer talks, such as `The Contribution of women to Science`; `Science as a career`; `The 1916 Zeppelin Raid upon Walsall`

Why choose us?

We are a former Museum of the Year and one of only a small number of local museums to twice win the Sandford Award for excellence in museum education. Our museum accommodates all sorts of learning styles. Our activities offer great fun whilst still supporting the Curriculum.

“Staff and children at Birchills CE Community Academy really enjoyed the fantastic workshops”

“We are looking at `Our Local Area` as a topic and we would like to take part in the workshops that we have done in the past. We loved the workshops last time..” Mrs Soloman, Birchills C of E Academy School, 2018

Costs

  • Democracy-themed/British Values guided walk, including a visit to the Council chamber (by prior arrangement): Free
  • Viking Purse making: £1.50
  • Roman satchel making: £2.50
  • ‘Mask of Agamemnon’ making: £4.00
  • Full face mask making: £5.00
  • Roman tent making: £2.50
  • History Detective session: Free
  • Tour including keyring making, dog collar making, learning to stitch and finding out about leather: £1.00 per child
  • Shadow puppet: £1.50
  • Slipper making: £1.50
  • Sutton Hoo helmet making: £5.00 each
  • Making a quill pen and ink from tea: £3.00 (this session may or may not be linked to the Saxon, 1300 year old, Lichfield Gospel)
  • Stone Age activity: £2.00 each if making a replica of a Stone Age necklace
  • Local history/Victorians guided walk: Free
  • Teddy bear making (which may be part of an Old Toys session): £1.00 each. The bear has moveable joints
  • Doctor’s plague mask: £3.00
  • Making a Chinese dragon puppet: £1.50
  • Literacy session: Free (this session can be linked to Victorian Employment Commission reports comprising the competing voices of people connected to child labour)
  • Dinosaur finger puppet making: £1.00
  • Friendship bracelet making (braided or simple) : £1.00
  • Looking at the properties of leather, including some simple experiments: Free
  • Making a leather postbox moneybox: £5.00
  • A local historical, illustrated talk about the Zeppelin raid on Walsall in 1916: Free
  • Hedgehog with moveable legs: £1.00
  • Highwayman mask: £1.50
  • Codes and Code-breaking: a history of the Walsall code breaker, Sir Harry Hinsley, and some simple code making and breaking: Token charge only

Schools may pay on the day of their visit by cash or cheque, or we can invoice through the Council.

Whilst the use of the shop is voluntary, we would encourage schools to use it to help support the museum.

Find out more

David Mills

Assistant Curator
Telephone: 01922 652288/652283
Email: leathermuseum@walsall.gov.uk
www.walsall.gov.uk/leathermuseum

We look forward to working with you.