The Bass Museum
This was written in 1999 in the good old days of the Bass Museum
My interest of the Bass Museum dates
back to the early 1980's when I worked for them as a warden. In this capacity
I showed visitors around, answered questions on local history and the Bass Museum
and also pulled a few pints when I later worked behind the many bars of the
museum. It is very interesting revisiting the place I knew so well. A new feature
to the museum is the Millennium clock, which is an old clock from one of the
old brewery buildings which has been painstakingly restored in Derby in time
the millennium celebrations. My favorite part of the museum is the stables which
houses the four World famous Bass Shires. The four horses are named Ambassador,
Wellington, Imperial & Masterpiece. All four are bane in colour, have four
white socks, black manes and tails and white blazes down their faces. The horse
heights range from 17.2 to 17.3 hands high. A new addition to the stables is
Tiny Tim, a Shetland pony, who is only 28 inches high. They are all cared for
by Barry, David and Dan. If you want to know more about the horses and the shows
that they attend, you can join the Shire Horse Club which gives you free access
to the museum and the stables and you receive a Bi-Annual Newsletter.
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All pictures © Arthur Roe 2000
The main history collection of Bass is housed in the old joiners shop on three floors. Exhibits include a wonderful reconstruction of an Edwardian Bar, a scale model of Burton which is a snapshot in time as it was in the 1920's complete with working model railway engines. Some of the exhibits are items that were saved by Bass from the Old Burton Museum. There is far to much in this collection to tell you here, but is of interest to young and old alike. The museum can also cater for your children's parties, conferences and exhibition facilities and weddings with a difference. In the Wheelwrights Restaurant/Bar you can partake in the excellent food and beverages served to you by very friendly staff. Also on the site is one of the Bass steam loco's and the Directors Coach and a large collection of vintage vehicles. There are too many exhibits to mention let alone the special days that they have throughout the year. For more information please visit their web