Wimborne Model Town
Encyclopedia
Wimborne Model Town, situated on the edge of the town of Wimborne Minster
, Dorset
, England
, is one of the largest and most established model towns
in England. It depicts Wimborne at the time it was originally made in the 1950s
and captures the essence of a typical market town
of rural England at that time.
The concrete
model, built at 1/10 scale, features 120 buildings including 108 shop fronts and a 15 ft (5m) high Minster
. The shop windows accurately show the goods the shops were selling in the post war years.
Originally built on a site just to the north-west of the actual Wimborne Minster (church) it became run-down in the 1980s, and a group of volunteers set up a charity and were given an area of 0.4 hectare
(1 acre
) of Green Belt
land off King Street to restore the attraction. Although such use of Green Belt land would normally have been deemed inappropriate development, the District
planners considered that the model's retention in the town was a 'special circumstance'. The Council has since permitted over 245 square metres of temporary classroom buildings incorporating a visitors centre, cafe/gift shop, toilets etc. together with play cabins associated with the children's play area.
Additional attractions have been added in recent years, including a model railway based on Thomas the Tank Engine
, which was opened by Christopher Awdry
.
Today the model town is still run by volunteers, and is visited by thousands of people every year.
Wimborne Minster
Wimborne Minster is a market town in the East Dorset district of Dorset in South West England, and the name of the Church of England church in that town...
, Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, is one of the largest and most established model towns
Miniature park
A miniature park is an open space that displays miniature buildings and models, and is usually open to the public. A miniature park may contain a model of a single city or town, often called a miniature city or model village, or it can contain a number of different sets of models...
in England. It depicts Wimborne at the time it was originally made in the 1950s
1950s
The 1950s or The Fifties was the decade that began on January 1, 1950 and ended on December 31, 1959. The decade was the sixth decade of the 20th century...
and captures the essence of a typical market town
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
of rural England at that time.
The concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
model, built at 1/10 scale, features 120 buildings including 108 shop fronts and a 15 ft (5m) high Minster
Minster (cathedral)
Minster is an honorific title given to particular churches in England, most famously York Minster. The term minster is first found in royal foundation charters of the 7th century; and, although it corresponds to the Latin monasterium or monastery, it then designated any settlement of clergy living...
. The shop windows accurately show the goods the shops were selling in the post war years.
Originally built on a site just to the north-west of the actual Wimborne Minster (church) it became run-down in the 1980s, and a group of volunteers set up a charity and were given an area of 0.4 hectare
Hectare
The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...
(1 acre
Acre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
) of Green Belt
Green Belt (UK)
In United Kingdom town planning, the green belt is a policy for controlling urban growth. The idea is for a ring of countryside where urbanisation will be resisted for the foreseeable future, maintaining an area where agriculture, forestry and outdoor leisure can be expected to prevail...
land off King Street to restore the attraction. Although such use of Green Belt land would normally have been deemed inappropriate development, the District
East Dorset
East Dorset is a local government district in Dorset, England. Its council is based in Furzehill, near Wimborne Minster.The district was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of Wimborne Minster Urban District with part of the Ringwood and Fordingbridge Rural District and the Wimborne and Cranborne...
planners considered that the model's retention in the town was a 'special circumstance'. The Council has since permitted over 245 square metres of temporary classroom buildings incorporating a visitors centre, cafe/gift shop, toilets etc. together with play cabins associated with the children's play area.
Additional attractions have been added in recent years, including a model railway based on Thomas the Tank Engine
Thomas the Tank Engine
Thomas the Tank Engine is a fictional steam locomotive in The Railway Series books by the Reverend Wilbert Awdry and his son, Christopher. He became the most popular character in the series, and the accompanying television spin-off series, Thomas and Friends.Thomas is a tank engine, painted blue...
, which was opened by Christopher Awdry
Christopher Awdry
Christopher Awdry is an English author best known for his contributions to The Railway Series of books featuring Thomas the Tank Engine, which was started by his father, the Rev. W. Awdry. He has also produced children's books based on a number of other railways, as well as non-fiction articles...
.
Today the model town is still run by volunteers, and is visited by thousands of people every year.