Walsall historian slams council leaders as ‘pitiful and shocking’ over Leather Museum decision live on radio
A former site manager at the Leather Museum has called leaders at Walsall Council ‘pitiful and shocking’.
Michael Glasson, the curator who opened the museum in 1988 and oversaw operations for 30 years, made the comments live on BBC Radio WM on March 13.
Leader of Walsall Council, Councillor Mike Bird, previously said the building on Littleton Street West has ‘no heritage at all’.
But Historic England this week designated the site as Grade II, having special architectural and heritage interest.
The decision notice said the building ‘illustrated Walsall’s leather industry at its height’.
Following news of the listing, Councillor Bird said on BBC Radio WM: “That’s their opinion but at the end of the day it’s an old factory”.
Mr Glasson said: “For Mike Bird to say it’s a building of no historic interest, how come he’s suddenly an authority on 19th Century industrial architecture?
“Historic England assessors are the most experienced and knowledgeable architectural experts in the country.”
Mr Glasson also said it was ‘pitiful’ that the council can’t run a single museum for a borough of 280,000 people.
The closure of the Leather Museum on April 11, 2026, will mark the end of the last remaining museum in Walsall.
The council has defended its relocation plans by the drop in visitor numbers over recent years which have stood around the 13,000 mark.
Mr Glasson said: “Recent reports state that the marketing budget for the Leather Museum is precisely zero.
“If you buy a car and don’t put petrol in the fuel tank, you’re going to run out of steam.
“When I was manager we had a £20,000 marketing budget. That’s now down to zero.
“I think that tells quite a story about how committed Mike Bird and his cabinet are in creating the Leather Museum. It’s shocking.
“This is the last of six museums that Walsall had. A borough of 280,000 people and they can’t run a single museum, it’s pitiful.”
This week Walsall Council confirmed it purchased 1-3 The Bridge in Walsall town centre for the museum to move into.
Speaking on BBC Radio WM, Councillor Bird said that the ‘majority of the ground floor will be leather’ and the upper floors will be for ‘children and children’s services’.
When host Ed James asked if the new site will be up and running this year, Councillor Bird said ‘Oh yes’.
A £47,500 feasibility study for a ‘Future Walsall Museum’, carried out in 2024, estimated that it could take anywhere between five and 11 years before opening to the public, albeit in an different property.
Councillor Bird has been approached for comment by the LDRS.
