  Location within Wales | |
| 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 was officially closed on 30th June 2023.
Founding
The museum is owned by Barry Kirk, who changed his name by deed poll to Captain Beany. The museum is located in the living room, bathroom and kitchen of his council flat.[2] Captain Beany raises money each year for charity.
Exhibits
The museum contains examples of branded food cans, advertising and other promotional items associated with baked beans. There are 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.[2] There are over 500 items in the museum, and Beany estimates that he has spent over £10,000 building his collection.[3]
Unlike many museums, the Baked Bean Museum of Excellence has no gift shop on-site. Instead, Captain Beany operates a market stall in local businesses on weekends only, selling branded souvenirs of both the Museum and of his Captain Beany persona.
Culture
The museum is registered with the Association of Independent Museums.[2] Comedian Danny Wallace is a patron. In 2018, the museum was the fourth most visited attraction in Port Talbot, according to figures by TripAdvisor.[3]
In 2010, Beany believed that his was the only museum in the world dedicated to baked beans.[2] 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 .[4]
References
- ↑ Official Homepage
- 1 2 3 4 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.
- 1 2 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.