Tips, ideas and stories from
travel expert, Julie Peasgood.I
am peering, transfixed, into the
mullioned window of the tiniest
shop I have ever seen. Nearby are
other miniscule retail outlets, with
names like Lee Key Plumbers’
Merchants and Sam and Ella’s Butchers,
but it doesn’t immediately dawn on
me (until I say their names out loud)
that ‘Leaky’ Plumbers Merchants
and ‘Salmonella’ Butchers are
mischievous puns.Back in the 1920s, Bekonscot model
village started this trend of humorous
play on words for the names of its
miniature businesses, something
which has now become
customary in the
model world. But
it isn’t just the
small-scale shops
that captivate
me (and my
two year-old
granddaughter
Saha, pictured
right), it’s also
the awe-inspiring
size and scope of this
enchanting village.Created by a Beaconsfield resident,
Roland Callingham (with the help of
his gardener, maid, chauffeur and cook)
Bekonscot is renowned as the oldest,
original model village in the world. It
covers nearly two acres of painstakingly
maintained award-winning gardens,
half of which is a Lilliputian 1:12
landscape. An amalgam of Beaconsfield
and Ascot, where Callingham had also
lived, it began life as an amusement for
the accountant and his friends, before
becoming the popular commercial
visitor attraction it is today.And although there are children
gasping with delight at the pocket
fairground, circus and impressivenetwork of trains (an extensive
Gauge 1 railway network) every adult
around me seems thoroughly smitten
too. We stroll like giants amongst
the six different diminutive towns
portraying rural England in the
1930s, now sprinkled with automated
modern-day additions like a lady
cleaning her windows, a cable car,
and the thatched cottage that (rather
disconcertingly) catches fire. Never
fear - a team of firemen successfully
fight the blaze!The craftsmanship and attention
to detail is extraordinary, with the
undulating path that winds
through the village
revealing surprises,
delights and
eccentricities at every
turn: from the canal
barges and horse
drawn carriages to
the church - complete
with bell ringers - and
even a miniscule replica
of Enid Blyton’s home, a
fellow Beaconsfield resident.Groups of 15 or more can benefit
from discounts and free coach
parking (but always make contact
first on 01494-672919 or email
[email protected]). Talks on the
history of the village and its unique
models can be arranged for up to 25
people; and groups of more than 20
can combine a visit with a tranquil
two and a half hours river cruise
along the Thames from Windsor,
taking in a light lunch en-route. The
village itself has a small (but notminiature!) café with seating
inside and lots of tables outside.Bekonscot is a not-for-profit
company and has so far raised
over £5.5 million for charities
in the UK and abroad. With TV
appearances in programmes as
diverse as Midsomer Murders,
The One Show, Blue Peter
and Countryfile - and widely
acknowledged as the inspiration
for numerous model villages
and miniature parks worldwide- this quintessentially English
attraction can truly be classed as
a national treasure.
Honoured by the Royal Television Society with the Television Personality of the
Year Award, Julie Peasgood has had a multi-faceted career as an accomplished
actress and TV presenter, an award-winning author, travel writer and columnist,
a leading voice-over artist and a popular public speaker and events host.In 1936, at around the same time
that Bekonscot was gaining fame
and recognition, Carol Coward
wrote about the picturesque town
of Rye, ‘There are few places in
our land as beautiful and also
interesting as little Rye in Sussex.’Begin by getting your bearings at
the Rye Heritage Centre (don’t
miss the charming Old Penny
Arcade upstairs); relish the views
from the top of St Mary’s church,
with its still functioning turret
clock made in 1561, and stop for
lunch at the Jacobean Fletcher’s
House next door. Enjoy tea and
the lovely garden at Lamb House,
finishing with a fascinating tour of
splendid antique shops & galleries.30 May 2019 groupleisureandtravel.comtories from
with Julie
Journey