Northampton Museum and Art Gallery

Northampton Museum and Art Gallery stands in the centre of Northampton, a town in the English Midlands. The building began as a shared home for the town’s museum and library in the 19th century. After the library moved out in 1910 the museum took the whole site. Two large extensions were added in 1935 and 1988. A £6.7 million refurbishment finished in 2021, reopening the museum after four years of closure. The museum holds one of the world’s largest shoe collections, with over 15,000 pairs. The ground floor shows 12,000 shoes from ancient Egypt to today. Two galleries explain how shoes are made and how fashion has changed. Paintings by Jan Miel and Hendrik van Oort show shoemakers at work. Curator June Swann worked on the collection for 38 years. Upstairs are displays about Northampton’s past and art from Italy and the East. A controversial sale of an Egyptian statue once drew attention to the museum. The building now offers clear routes between floors and modern displays. Visitors leave with a view of both local history and global craftsmanship.