Cathedrals · South West England
Wimborne Model Town
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 the town of Wimborne as it was
Lewis Clarke — CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons licence
Plan your visit
- Typical visit
- 1 h–2 h
- Best time of year
- Year-round
- Family-friendly
- Limited wheelchair access
About
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 It depicts the town of Wimborne as it was at the time the model was originally made in the 1950s, and captures the essence of a typical market town of rural England at that time.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.
Photo gallery
From the Wikipedia article
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 It depicts the town of Wimborne as it was at the time the model was originally made in the 1950s, and captures the essence of a typical market town of rural England at that time.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.
Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.
- Coordinates
- 50.7983, -1.9908
- District
- Dorset
- Parish
- Wimborne Minster
- Postcode
- BH21 1DZ
- Parliamentary constituency
- Mid Dorset and North Poole
- Official site
- www.museumofeastdorset.co.uk
Sources
- wikipedia: Wimborne Model Town (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Featured in this guide
Other places nearby
Loading nearby places…
Nearby
📷 5Historic churches · South East England
Wimborne Minster
Wimborne Minster is a historic church in the United Kingdom.
📷 5Memorials & monuments · South East England
Wimborne Minster War Memorial
Wimborne Minster War Memorial — Grade II listed building-listed memorial in england-south-east, United Kingdom.
📷 5Museums · South East England
Museum of East Dorset
Museum of East Dorset — a museum in england-south-east, United Kingdom.
Vineyards · South East England
Mound on The Leaze
Mound on The Leaze — a UK vineyard in england south east, producing English or Welsh wine from cool-climate grape varieties.
📷 5Theatres · South East England
Tivoli Theatre
Tivoli Theatre is a theatre in the United Kingdom.
📷 5Gardens · South East England
37, West Borough
37, West Borough — a garden in england-south-east, United Kingdom.
More cathedrals in this region
📷 5Cathedrals · South West England
Burke
Burke — Public artwork (statue).
★ Iconic📷 4Cathedrals · South West England
Salisbury Cathedral
Britain's tallest spire, single-style Early English Gothic, holds a Magna Carta original.
★ Iconic📷 4Cathedrals · South West England
Wells Cathedral
First all-Gothic English cathedral, with the famous scissor arches and a 1390 clock.
Flagship📷 4Cathedrals · South West England
Exeter Cathedral
World's longest unbroken Gothic vaulted ceiling, with a 1484 astronomical clock.
Frequently asked questions
- Where is Wimborne Model Town?
- Wimborne Model Town is in South West England, in the United Kingdom — coordinates 50.7983°, -1.9908°.
- Is Wimborne Model Town wheelchair accessible?
- Partially — OpenStreetMap notes limited wheelchair access at Wimborne Model Town. Check ahead for specific facilities.