Baked Bean Museum of Excellence
  Location within Wales | |
| Established | January 2009 |
|---|---|
| Dissolved | 2023 |
| Location | Port Talbot, Wales, United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 51°35′38″N 3°48′54″W / 51.5940222°N 3.8149896°W |
| Type | Food museum |
| Key holdings | Popular culture items related to baked beans |
| Founder | Barry Kirk |
The Baked Bean Museum of Excellence was a private museum located in Port Talbot, Wales, United Kingdom.[1] The Baked Bean Museum Of Excellence closed in 2023.[2]
History[edit]
The museum was opened in 2009[2] by Barry Kirk, who changed his name by deed poll to Captain Beany. The museum was located in the living room, bathroom and kitchen of his council flat.[3]
Beany closed the museum in 2023, saying that some of his collection would be donated to the Museum of Advertising in London.[2]
Exhibits[edit]
The museum contained examples of branded food cans, advertising and other promotional items associated with baked beans. There were also items from a number of food brands including Heinz, Crosse & Blackwell, Branston, HP and Van Camp's, as well as items relating to the comedy character Mr Bean.[3] There were over 500 items in the museum, and Beany estimates that he had spent over £10,000 building his collection.[4]
Unlike many museums, the Baked Bean Museum of Excellence had no gift shop on-site. Instead, Beany operated a market stall in local businesses on weekends, selling branded souvenirs of both the museum and of his Captain Beany persona.
Culture[edit]
The museum was registered with the Association of Independent Museums.[3] Comedian Danny Wallace was a patron. In 2018, the museum was the fourth most visited attraction in Port Talbot, according to figures by TripAdvisor.[4]
In 2010, Beany believed that his was the only museum in the world dedicated to baked beans.[3] In 2019, Heinz opened a museum, in the form of a pop-up "Beanz Museum" in Covent Garden London between 30 August and 1 September. The museum contained exhibitions about the Heinz brand to mark the company's 150th anniversary .[5]
References[edit]
- ^ Official Homepage
- ^ a b c Mackey, Eanna (6 June 2023). "'It brings a tear to my eye' Captain Beany closes his famous Baked Beans museum for good - Wales Online". www.walesonline.co.uk. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
- ^ a b c d Davies, Hunter (2010). "Chapter 4: The Baked Bean Museum of Excellence, Port Talbot". Behind the scenes at the Museum of Baked Beans: My search for Britain's Maddest Museums. Virgin Books. pp. 59–72. ISBN 978-0-7535-2213-4.
- ^ a b Thomas, Geraint (23 March 2018). "What it's like inside Wales' top-rated council flat Baked Bean Museum". WalesOnline. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
- ^ Noble, William (29 August 2019). "A Museum Dedicated To Baked Beans Is Coming To London This Month". Londonist. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
