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It is said that in every one of us something of the child remains and perhaps it is the child’s love of models and miniatures that lies at the heart of Bekonscot’s appeal. For more than 74 years, this, the oldest model village in the world, has attracted well over l2 million visitors, including several members of the royal family, and has given over £1.2 million to charity.The village began as a hobby for Roland Callingham, a London accountant. In the mid l920’s he bought several parcels of land, dug a pond, built a few model houses, to which his friend James Shilcock added a model railway. The village was first opened to the public in l929, and no admission charge was made, the public being invited to put money in collection boxes for charity. Roland Callingham did not found Bekonscot to make money but created it for pleasure, and thousands of individuals and organisations have benefited over the years. Nostalgia forms part of its charm. To enter this model village is to escape for an hour or two into an idealised version of rural England in the l930’s. Here, in miniature, are the shops, streets and houses of that era, its tiny, static inhabitants seeming as yet unconcerned by the growing shadows of mass unemployment, poverty and impending war. They can visit the fair, play cricket, climb rocks, watch horse racing or the polo, and lead carefree lives in their miniature wonderland. There is something to delight everyone here, whether you share the child’s fascination with tiny things and are ready to step into a miniature version of England as it might have appeared in the l930’s or you enjoy admiring the fine craftsmanship displayed in the accurate working models, including the Gauge l model railway, or you are simply curious to see what a real model village looks like. The model railway has a total track length of 498 yards (455m) and the trains are operated electrically at 28 volts d.c., using the running rails for current pick-up. Seven stations are served by the trains, which are controlled and supervised in the same way as a full-size railway. The rolling stock comprises mainly steam outline locomotives and a variety of passenger and goods vehicles. During the season the trains cover about l6,000 miles (25.00km) each. BMR stands for Bekonscot Model Railway and as an independent line, the railway uses it own liveries, names and numbers. The village also has a sit-on miniature railway which has proved exceedingly popular since its introduction last year. This runs at weekends during the season and weekdays during school holidays. There is a ‘tudor house’ which is completely furnished inside, with everything from drapes and carpets to lamp stands, and members of the household wearing elegant clothes. There is a replica of Enid Blyton’s house ‘Green Hedges’ where she lived in Beaconsfield for many years whilst writing her books, a regular visitor to the village. At every corner you find something of interest. The windmill, the church with the wedding party having their photos taken, the working coal-mine, the ‘nodding donkey’ at the oil refinery, and the shops, including Dan D Lyon (the florist), Alfred King (cakes) and Ivan Huven (baker). Visit our website and make up your own village in our ‘virtual village’. We do hope you enjoy it when you visit, and look forward to welcoming you.
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