Bekonscot Model Village and Railway is the world’s oldest and original model village, opening for the first time in 1929.
Bekonscot is famous for its miniature houses, gardens, and vast garden railway.
There are over 10 scale miles of model railway track, surrounded by thousands of plants and hundreds of buildings,
The model village is open from Saturday 15 February until Sunday 2 November 10am-5pm daily.
Halfway round the village you there is a cafe and a small children’s playground.
There is a short ride on railway that runs every day from 10:30am until 4:30pm, departing “on demand” every few minutes.
History
In 1927, Mr Roland Callingham, a London accountant, instructed gardeners to dig a swimming pool at his home in Beaconsfield The pool and tennis courts were used for garden parties, attended by the high society of London. Politicians, minor royals, aristocrats and the movers and shakers of the era would come out for a breath of country air.
In 1928, Mrs Callingham made a short but moving speech which suggested that either the indoor model railway went, or she did. The model railway moved outdoors.
Following suggestions from friends and family, Mr Callingham opened Bekonscot to the amazed public in 1929. The village was seen in newspapers, cinema newsreels and magazines across the world, with thousands flocking to Beaconsfield to see the ‘real-life Lilliput’.
It attracted the attention of the Royal Family, living just a short distance away in Windsor. The first visit was on 20 April 1934, the eve of Princess Elizabeth’s eighth birthday.
The future Queen of England returned several times in later years, along with Princess Margaret, Queen Mary and the King. After her coronation, the Queen’s children came too and were equally enthralled with this, the smallest of kingdoms.
There wasn’t an admission charge – but visitors were asked to put charitable donations in a box if they wished. All proceeds went to the Railway Benevolent Institution – Mr Callingham was a railway fan and many of the volunteers helping with the model railway were railway staff.
Since then, all profits have been donated to charity.
Local buildings and personal favourites of the staff provided much of the village’s inspiration, all were constructed from memory, photos or imagination. Bekonscot’s founder was never concerned with precision: it was, and always will be, eccentric, fun and full of character.Bekonscot has been through many changes in it’s history, the biggest came in 1992 when Bekonscot went from being kept up to date, with all of the latest cars, trains and planes to being reversed back to a 1930’s time warp. The village has remained like this ever since, with new and refurbished buildings always appearing in the village.