Location Williton, Somerset Phone +44 1984 632133 | Website Bakelite Museum | |
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Address The Orchard Mill, Williton, Somerset TA4 4NS, UK Hours Closed now Tuesday10:30AM–5PMWednesday10:30AM–5PMThursday10:30AM–5PMFriday10:30AM–5PMSaturday10:30AM–5PMSunday10:30AM–5PMMonday10:30AM–5PM Similar Tropiquaria, Cleeve Abbey, Market House Museum, Dunster Working Watermill, Dunster Castle | ||
The bakelite museum and st peters church in williton west somerset
The Bakelite Museum is in Williton, Somerset, England.
Contents
- The bakelite museum and st peters church in williton west somerset
- A day at the bakelite museum williton
- References
The Museum is housed in Orchard Mill, which has been designated by English Heritage as a grade II listed building. It used to be a watermill and still has the original workings in place, including the water wheel.
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. 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. Improved access to the museum was created in 2012 by the addition of an elegant outside staircase by a local blacksmith.