The old Bass Museum name is still seen by thousands of commuters each day as they head into Burton – 14 years after the popular tourist attraction changed its name.
Three brown tourist road signs advertising The Bass Museum of Brewing still have pride of place on the A38 at the Branston junction and again on the nearby roundabout, despite the name controversially changing to the Coors Visitor Centre when Bass was sold to Coors brewery in 2003.
It closed in 2008 and reopened in 2010 as the National Brewery Centre and is now run by a separate company, Planning Solutions Ltd. This firm owns attracts all over the country.
The name change upset many in Burton at the time due to Bass' long association with the town.
While it may lead some tourists to believe the Bass Museum of Brewing is a separate destination to the National Brewery Centre, its not and there are up to date signs with the correct name of the National Brewery Centre advertising the Horninglow Street tourist attraction closer to the venue in Burton.
The Bass Museum officially opened to the public on July 16, 1977. This date was chosen to commemorate the bicentenary of Bass Brewery and the Queen's Silver Jubilee.
When Bass was taken over by Belgian brewer Interbrew in 2000, its new owners reassured residents that the museum would remain an important feature of the town.
But more change came when US brewer Coors acquired the Carling and Bass brands, and all of its holdings, including the museum, as part of a £1 billion deal in 2002.
However, in 2003, many Burton residents and brewery workers were left fuming when the site was renamed the Coors Visitor Centre, following the US-based giant's takeover of the Bass Brewery.
By 2008, Coors claimed the museum was costing it more than £1 million a year to run and would close by the end of June. The Burton Mail launched a campaign to fight the move and gained support from many prominent people. Despite the Mail's 20,000-name petition, the museum closed in August 2008.
However, on May 1, 2010, the National Brewery Centre reopened its doors under new operators. However, the signs remain unchanged.
The Burton Mail was told by Staffordshire County Council that while the authority would remove and erect signs, it would only do so when asked by the National Brewery Centre.
A spokesman for the national Brewery Centre was unavailable for comment.
