Safeguarding skills and heritage
We help celebrate and share the remarkable history of leather as a material and provide grants to ensure the preservation of expert conservation skills.
The Leather Conservation Centre
The Leathersellers’ Company has for many years supported the Leather Conservation Centre, which was founded in 1978 to conserve historic leathers and is based in Northampton. It is a major international centre for leather conservation, education and research.
The Leathersellers’ Company and Foundation fund a number of conservation projects carried out at the Leather Conservation Centre.
If you are interested in having an item conserved by the Centre please contact them directly.
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The Leathercraft Trust (formerly the Museum of Leathercraft)
The Leathersellers’ Company and Foundation were proud funders of the former Museum of Leathercraft, which has recently restructured to transfer its collection to the Northampton Museum and Art Gallery. This opportunity arose following the significant investment in the Northampton Museum that provided the capacity to add the leather collection to a vibrant and diverse range of objects that tell the story of the people and craft history in Northampton and the surrounding county. This includes a shoe collection of international significance as Designated by the Arts Council England.
The Leather Collection adds valuable context for the shoe and leather industry with strong roots in Northampton, including over 10,000 objects and 30,000 documents, photographs and books telling the world story of leather from prehistory to present day. Whilst making this pragmatic decision to transfer the collection to ensure its continued use and access, the trustees remain committed to education in the culture and heritage of leathercraft and so have altered their objects and rebranded as The Leathercraft Trust to support the continued promotion of and access to the collection in a variety of formats.
Learn moreConservation in the Archive and Collections
The Leathersellers’ Company regularly uses the Leather Conservation Centre to conserve objects in the Archive and Collections.
Charter of incorporation
Charter of incorporation granted by Henry VI in 1444. As the most iconic item in the archive collections, this was prepared for display in the New Hall by being cleaned, repaired, remounted and placed in custom-built housing made by Goppion.
St Helen’s acquisition deed
Deed of conveyance of St Helen’s estate to the Leathersellers’ Company in May 1543 following the dissolution of the medieval Priory of St Helen. An important record of the purchase of the Company’s home estate, and bearing Sir Richard Cromwell’s signature, this has been cleaned, flattened, mounted and placed within a custom-made enclosure.
Scroll of arms of the Glovers and Leathersellers
Confirmation of the arms of the Glovers’ and Leathersellers’ Companies, 1634, officially recording both Companies’ heraldry as it was before and during the period in which the two Companies were unified. This has been cleaned, relaxed, remounted and placed within a custom-made enclosure, and vulnerable areas of paint on the document were consolidated.
