About the Museum
The world-famous Bakelite Museum is a unique collection of ordinary and extraordinary objects from the Naughty Nineties to the Swinging Sixties. It includes thousands of items that were used in homes and workplaces throughout the country, things made of Bakelite and other early plastics in fabulous colours and patterns, and things that were part of everyday life in the Bakelite era.
Bakelite, the first proper plastic, was a revolutionary material. It enabled mass-production and its insulating capabilities allowed cars and aeroplanes to be made. It was known as “the material of a thousand uses” and in various guises it was used by everybody. The museum gives a delightful, humorous look through a keyhole into the past – including its visions of the future (See the Stars Wars telephone!).
We have a 1930s caravan and experimental plastic bicycles. There are telephones and gramophones, ovens and irons, cruets and calculators, televisions, toys and tie-presses and even machines from the first and last Bakelite factory in Britain. It’s a treat for vintage enthusiasts and design connoisseurs and it’s a nostalgic feast for those who remember these things and full of delightful surprises for those who don’t.
The Bakelite Design Trust (Registered Charity no 1193655) was formed in 2021, "To establish and maintain a museum to educate the public on the history, evolution and use of plastics from 1850 onwards and their impact on everyday life by archiving, preserving, and exhibiting historic plastics and related items for public viewing." The new museum will include items from both the Bakelite Museum and the Fairgrieve collection, the machines and factory archive that were saved by the North of England Civic Trust (now Cultura Trust) and exhibited at the Bakelite Museum.
Here is the BDT press release:
The Bakelite Design Trust formed to set up new museum
At a time when many museums are in the news for being locked down, one is reawakening, looking to revive memories, inspire a new generation and find a new home.
The Bakelite Museum, a small but internationally known museum based in rural Somerset, was moved into storage in 2018. It has now joined forces with Cultura Trust to form a new charity, The Bakelite Design Trust, with the intention of setting up a new museum of early plastics and 20th century design, in larger and more suitable premises.
At a time when plastic is vilified as an environmental evil, the museum will show that it is not plastic that is the problem but how we use and dispose of it. Bakelite, ‘the material of a thousand uses’, transformed the world through mass production, making good design available to everyone and plastics an integral and essential part of our lives. The museum will show the development of materials in the context of everyday life in the 20th century, retaining the nostalgic pleasures of the original Bakelite Museum, where a common delighted cry was, “My granny had one of those!”, while also imagining the future.
The Bakelite Museum is the largest collection of early plastics that has ever been open to the public. Collected over forty years by artist Patrick Cook, the Museum was displayed first in London and then for twenty-three years in a watermill in Somerset. Visitors saw a range of historic plastics and a vast array of products facilitated by the invention of Bakelite. The display brought together Cook’s collection with Cultura’s – presses, moulds and paraphernalia from one of the first Bakelite factories in Britain, enabling visitors to understand that innovative design was made possible by innovative techniques.
For three years everything has been slumbering in storage, awaiting the light of day to resume its story.
Until now.
During lockdown Cultura successfully applied for a DCMS Culture Recovery Fund, which has enabled all those iconic household items like coffee flasks, radios, eggcups, televisions and even caravans to be reunited under Patrick’s caring eye to be conserved and, in the spirit of the age, digitised, to help make some of the collection available online. He is thrilled that these familiar icons are destined once again to be shared with us all: ‘Bakelite was symbolic of the new era of adventurous production, when design and the capabilities of materials pushed back new limits. We think of “plastic” as being the stuff of everyday life, but really it is about potential – how a material can be made into whatever we want. And there at the forefront was Bakelite – so adaptable, so affordable and so successful that it found its way into every home.’
Graham Bell, Director of Cultura and Chair of The Bakelite Design Trust, feels it is more than a homecoming for the collection: ‘There is a strong revival of interest among the public for “vintage” clothes and objects; recent history is highly collectable. Now that we are in the 21st century, the twentieth century is the history of parents and grandparents – a history that can still be told first-hand. That is what is exciting about Bakelite: every generation has a story, a keepsake, an insight into the world of design made real for everyone. What we do is provide the storybook.’
Julian Orbach, historian and author of the newly published Pevsner Guide to Wiltshire, and trustee of The Bakelite Design Trust, sees the bigger picture: ‘The lens of history struggles to see recent developments – is their legacy lasting or short-lived? Bakelite is history in the home, even now.’ Valentine and Alan Davis, also trustees, agree: ‘As volunteers, we’ve witnessed how visitors light up when something they see sparks a forgotten childhood memory.’ Bakelite was part of life for everybody, rich and poor. Its use ranged from expensive jewellery and luxury Harrods picnic sets to the humble light switch.
The collections may have begun their journey back to public life, but a big step awaits: finding a new home – a new museum. By displaying and demonstrating the collections, and with talks, events and film screenings, the museum will provoke wonder, delight and amusement, as well as discussion about the usefulness of plastics and how to mitigate their environmental impact. The museum will be more than an important retrospective. Besides giving an appreciation of history, it will be a source of inspiration for a new generation of artists, inventors and designers.
The Trust is making an urgent appeal for help in the search for premises in the south west that will unlock stories, experiences and even careers in applied design. They could be on a high street, perhaps where the pandemic has left premises closed, or former factories or other buildings having a good 20th century character and public access. You might have the key to where this 100-year-old story writes its next chapter.
Bakelite, the first proper plastic, was a revolutionary material. It enabled mass-production and its insulating capabilities allowed cars and aeroplanes to be made. It was known as “the material of a thousand uses” and in various guises it was used by everybody. The museum gives a delightful, humorous look through a keyhole into the past – including its visions of the future (See the Stars Wars telephone!).
We have a 1930s caravan and experimental plastic bicycles. There are telephones and gramophones, ovens and irons, cruets and calculators, televisions, toys and tie-presses and even machines from the first and last Bakelite factory in Britain. It’s a treat for vintage enthusiasts and design connoisseurs and it’s a nostalgic feast for those who remember these things and full of delightful surprises for those who don’t.
The Bakelite Design Trust (Registered Charity no 1193655) was formed in 2021, "To establish and maintain a museum to educate the public on the history, evolution and use of plastics from 1850 onwards and their impact on everyday life by archiving, preserving, and exhibiting historic plastics and related items for public viewing." The new museum will include items from both the Bakelite Museum and the Fairgrieve collection, the machines and factory archive that were saved by the North of England Civic Trust (now Cultura Trust) and exhibited at the Bakelite Museum.
Here is the BDT press release:
The Bakelite Design Trust formed to set up new museum
At a time when many museums are in the news for being locked down, one is reawakening, looking to revive memories, inspire a new generation and find a new home.
The Bakelite Museum, a small but internationally known museum based in rural Somerset, was moved into storage in 2018. It has now joined forces with Cultura Trust to form a new charity, The Bakelite Design Trust, with the intention of setting up a new museum of early plastics and 20th century design, in larger and more suitable premises.
At a time when plastic is vilified as an environmental evil, the museum will show that it is not plastic that is the problem but how we use and dispose of it. Bakelite, ‘the material of a thousand uses’, transformed the world through mass production, making good design available to everyone and plastics an integral and essential part of our lives. The museum will show the development of materials in the context of everyday life in the 20th century, retaining the nostalgic pleasures of the original Bakelite Museum, where a common delighted cry was, “My granny had one of those!”, while also imagining the future.
The Bakelite Museum is the largest collection of early plastics that has ever been open to the public. Collected over forty years by artist Patrick Cook, the Museum was displayed first in London and then for twenty-three years in a watermill in Somerset. Visitors saw a range of historic plastics and a vast array of products facilitated by the invention of Bakelite. The display brought together Cook’s collection with Cultura’s – presses, moulds and paraphernalia from one of the first Bakelite factories in Britain, enabling visitors to understand that innovative design was made possible by innovative techniques.
For three years everything has been slumbering in storage, awaiting the light of day to resume its story.
Until now.
During lockdown Cultura successfully applied for a DCMS Culture Recovery Fund, which has enabled all those iconic household items like coffee flasks, radios, eggcups, televisions and even caravans to be reunited under Patrick’s caring eye to be conserved and, in the spirit of the age, digitised, to help make some of the collection available online. He is thrilled that these familiar icons are destined once again to be shared with us all: ‘Bakelite was symbolic of the new era of adventurous production, when design and the capabilities of materials pushed back new limits. We think of “plastic” as being the stuff of everyday life, but really it is about potential – how a material can be made into whatever we want. And there at the forefront was Bakelite – so adaptable, so affordable and so successful that it found its way into every home.’
Graham Bell, Director of Cultura and Chair of The Bakelite Design Trust, feels it is more than a homecoming for the collection: ‘There is a strong revival of interest among the public for “vintage” clothes and objects; recent history is highly collectable. Now that we are in the 21st century, the twentieth century is the history of parents and grandparents – a history that can still be told first-hand. That is what is exciting about Bakelite: every generation has a story, a keepsake, an insight into the world of design made real for everyone. What we do is provide the storybook.’
Julian Orbach, historian and author of the newly published Pevsner Guide to Wiltshire, and trustee of The Bakelite Design Trust, sees the bigger picture: ‘The lens of history struggles to see recent developments – is their legacy lasting or short-lived? Bakelite is history in the home, even now.’ Valentine and Alan Davis, also trustees, agree: ‘As volunteers, we’ve witnessed how visitors light up when something they see sparks a forgotten childhood memory.’ Bakelite was part of life for everybody, rich and poor. Its use ranged from expensive jewellery and luxury Harrods picnic sets to the humble light switch.
The collections may have begun their journey back to public life, but a big step awaits: finding a new home – a new museum. By displaying and demonstrating the collections, and with talks, events and film screenings, the museum will provoke wonder, delight and amusement, as well as discussion about the usefulness of plastics and how to mitigate their environmental impact. The museum will be more than an important retrospective. Besides giving an appreciation of history, it will be a source of inspiration for a new generation of artists, inventors and designers.
The Trust is making an urgent appeal for help in the search for premises in the south west that will unlock stories, experiences and even careers in applied design. They could be on a high street, perhaps where the pandemic has left premises closed, or former factories or other buildings having a good 20th century character and public access. You might have the key to where this 100-year-old story writes its next chapter.
