Bakelite Museum

Bakelite Museum
Location within Somerset and the United Kingdom
Location Williton, Somerset
Coordinates 51°09′25″N 3°19′38″W / 51.15702°N 3.32714°W / 51.15702; -3.32714Coordinates: 51°09′25″N 3°19′38″W / 51.15702°N 3.32714°W / 51.15702; -3.32714
Website Bakelite Museum

The Bakelite Museum is in Williton, Somerset, England.

The museum is housed in Orchard Mill, which has been designated by English Heritage as a grade II listed building.[1] It used to be a watermill and still has the original workings in place, including the water wheel.[2]

It is home to the personal collection of Patrick Cook, and includes vintage plastics such as radios, cameras, telephones, Bayko play bricks and a Bakelite coffin, plus a Bakelite car and vintage caravans. The Bakelite era has been captured by non-plastic objects from the early 20th century – fridges, cookers, washing-machines, toasters and comptometers.[3][4] An additional feature is the contents of one of the first, pioneering Bakelite factories in Britain, with presses, moulding machines and over 120 steel moulds.

In September 2010 a fire safety inspection found various problems which needed to be rectified if the museum was to remain open to the public and satisfy the Regulatory Reform (Fire safety) Order 2005.[5][6] Improved access to the museum was created in 2012 by the addition of an elegant outside staircase by a local blacksmith.

However, as of September 2018, the museum has closed in the Orchard Mill location and the collection is being packed up to move to a future location.[7]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Orchard Millhouse". Images of England. Archived from the original on 2012-10-20. Retrieved 2007-10-30.
  2. ↑ Historic England. "Orchard Millhouse, Mill and Waterwheel (1174791)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
  3. ↑ Campbell, Sophie (23 June 2007). "This is Bakelite, do not adjust your dial". Telegraph. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  4. ↑ "Bakelite Museum". Culture 24. Retrieved 20 November 2010.
  5. ↑ "Costs 'may shut Williton Bakelite Museum'". BBC. 23 September 2010. Retrieved 20 November 2010.
  6. ↑ "Bakelite museum in Somerset tangled in red tape after fire visit". This is Somerset. Retrieved 20 November 2010.
  7. ↑ "The Bakelite Museum". The Bakelite Museum. Retrieved 2018-09-16.

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