Repair shop expert calls to save leather museum

The Repair Shop's Suzie Fletcher has joined calls to stop the closure of Walsall's leather museum.

The master saddle maker, alongside former site manager Mike Glasson, expressed their opposition to the move claiming, the Victorian building had historical significance and had an important role in the leather industry.

"I came into this industry 50 years ago, and I didn't know Walsall at all, but because of my interest in saddle making, I've become very familiar with the importance of the town and the history of Walsall," Fletcher said.

Walsall Council said more visitors were needed to ensure the "long-term sustainability of the museum".

"I visit it regularly, so I actually appreciate the value of Walsall, the people and the history around the leather industry which goes back 400 years," she added.

Walsall Council announced in September 2025 that the artefacts from the town's Leather Museum would be "reprovided" in another, yet to be disclosed, town centre building as part of regeneration plans.

The existing building on Littleton Street West is part of a historic Victorian factory complex and has been displaying artefacts since it opened in 1988.

"The building that the museum is housed in is a factory, so the building itself is part of the museum, it's an exhibit. Therefore moving it somewhere else would change the whole essence of what it represents," the leather expert said.

Plans to convert the museum into special needs facilities for college students were submitted in January despite a petition launched in November opposing the plans.

Glasson was the site manager for 30 years and criticises the council's lack of marketing budget and support.

"This building is steeped in 135 years of leather making history [but] the number of people not going is because they don't know about it.

"When I was manager, we had a £20,000 marketing budget that must be now down to zero.

"This is the last of six museums that Walsall had, a borough of 280,000 and they can't run the single museum, it's pitiful," Glasson said.

Councillor Gary Flint explained that the museum will continue to play a crucial role in Walsall's cultural heritage.

"We know some may have concerns about the relocation, but we want to reassure them that their museum will continue to play an important role in Walsall's future," he said.

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