Museums and galleries
Council confirms new location and transition plans for Walsall Leather Museum
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Walsall Council has confirmed the new location and transition plans to relocate Walsall Leather Museum from its current site on Littleton Street West to a new, more central location within Walsall town centre.
This week, the council finalised the purchase of a new building (1-3 The Bridge) located between the High Street and the Walsall Leather Skills Centre.
Originally built as a drapers store, the building features a prominent corner frontage and was designed with large, full-height windows across the ground and first floors to display its goods. The relocation of the Leather Museum to this site presents an opportunity to reveal and celebrate the building’s original character, re-establishing it as a prominent town centre landmark. Inside, the generous open plan layout offers flexibility to shape the space over the coming months, with stakeholder and community involvement helping to co-design areas for display, learning, making and socialising.
“ Purchasing this building shows our commitment to Walsall Leather Museum and to showcasing Walsall’s proud leather-making heritage. The museum is not closing permanently, and we want to ensure it remains an important part of the borough’s cultural offer for future generations.
"This new site brings together two defining strands of Walsall’s heritage - its proud history as a market town and its international reputation for excellence in leather making. Relocating the museum to the town centre will boost footfall, improve access and visibility, and strengthen links with wider town‑centre regeneration and key cultural assets including The New Art Gallery Walsall and the emerging Creative Industries Enterprise Centre due to open later this year.
"We know some residents 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. We are keen to hear from anyone with ideas to help shape the next chapter for the museum. Further community engagement will take place this summer, building on consultation already carried out and involving both local communities and the leather industry, to help co-design the future museum. “
“ Walsall is rightly proud of its rich heritage in the leather and saddle-making industry, and the council’s investment in new premises for Walsall Leather Museum is very welcome. I fully support this move to what has to be a more accessible and visible resource, contributing moreover to the regeneration of the heart of Walsall.
“Its new location, right next to the Walsall Leather Skills Centre, presents a great opportunity to inspire local people and visitors alike to reconnect with Walsall’s heritage and rediscover the story of the town’s proud leather-making history. I look forward to working closely with the museum as it enters this exciting new chapter. “
“ The council is aware of recent media coverage relating to a feasibility study into the future museum offer in the borough. Commissioned in 2024, the study examined a range of long-term options and indicative costs to explore how Walsall’s museum provision could better support town centre regeneration, community pride and cultural engagement. It does not represent an agreed scheme or confirmed budget.
“Heritage‑led regeneration is central to our plans for the town centre. The study was undertaken to assess whether the current museum offer can meet future needs and to provide a framework to support future decision-making. While the existing Leather Museum is well regarded locally, the study concluded that its location, limited accessibility and low visitor numbers meant relocation would be the preferred long term option.
“A number of potential sites were considered, alongside their impact, deliverability and contribution to town centre renewal. The report proposed a phased approach, but it does not represent an agreed scheme, budget or delivery timetable. Any future proposals would be subject to further detailed work, a business case and the identification of external funding opportunities, including government and other grant programmes, to support refurbishment and development. “
The Leather Museum’s final day of opening at the current site will be Saturday 11 April 2026. All planned Easter activities will go ahead as scheduled.
During the transition period, the museum’s collections will be stored safely and securely. This includes its specialist library and a significant collection of approximately 600 books, trade catalogues and historic photographs documenting local factories and workers dating back to Victorian times. The removal and storage of the collections will be overseen by a specialist project manager and carried out in line with best-practice standards.
Community groups currently hosted at the Leather Museum will continue to be supported during the temporary closure. This includes the popular Stitchers Group, which will be hosted at The New Art Gallery Walsall.
There will be no mandatory redundancies, with museum staff redeployed during the closure period.
