Washford Radio Museum

[Nick Harvey]

'Er Indoors and I "did" the Washford Radio Museum yesterday afternoon.

If you're thinking of going, it's incredibly interesting, but also incredibly cramped. If they had three or four times the space and could lay things out better it would be really superb. It's currently just in a couple of old offices, leading off the souvenier shop for the Tropiquaria (the main attraction on the site).

There's an old Audix desk, probably the original from BBC Somerset Sound, just down the road; various bits of pre-war transmitter, mainly from Moorside Edge, but also bits from Washford itself; lots and lots of lovely Studer and Leevers-Rich tape machines, some still with the spools of red and yellow leader tape on the front and the editing blocks attached; enough grams and 78s to fill a record library; some of the original "set-top" boxes, to add ITV to your BBC only 405 line television; plus many, many ancient radio and television receivers.

There are also piles and piles of other stuff just jammed in behind the main exhibits. If only all that was out on show as well, the place would be a real winner.

I'd probably rate it at only about six out of ten, because of the space problem, but well worth a visit if you're down that way.

Oh, and to get onto the site, for the Tropiquaria and the Museum, it's £7.50 for adults or £6.50 for children and old codgers like me. If you include a wander round the Tropiquaria, it's good value.

[cwathen]

A couple of months on, but another thing worth trying is the (kindof) nearby Williton Bakelite museum.

A bit of an unassuming place (basically a house off the beaten track with a barn next to it and they'd have problems if more than 5 or 6 cars want to visit at once because the 'car park' is little more than a big driveway) but it's stuffed full of all sorts of fascinating old electrical equipment - including a lot of old radio/TV stuff.

Not too far from Washford, and if you want to keep it truly nostalgic both places are on the preserved West Somerset Railway (the largest of it's kind in the UK, consisting of almost all of the old Taunton-Minehead branch line, which is a fair old trek).

[Nick Harvey]

We noticed the signs for the Bakalite Museum the day we went to Washford, Chris.

Sounds like it's worth a go, next time we're down that way.