The UK isn’t a big place. Break that down into its four parts – England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and you’ll find our destination in England is very small indeed. But Google the Cotswolds and the site Cotswolds.com tells us it’s a huge area. Everything in proportion. How we see those proportions depends on our experiences or where we live.
So heading to this huge area – almost 800 square miles, which covers five counties – Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire, Wiltshire and Worcestershire we narrow down our destination to Cheltenham in Gloucestershire. And in Cheltenham to the small, picturesque, chocolate-box image village of Bourton-on-the-Water.
Then it gets smaller still for in the ancient, idyllic village of Bourton-on-the-Water there’s a model village of the village. A one-ninth scale replica of each building as it was – all the old buildings from the Old Water Mill, which is now the Car Museum, to the Old New Inn and the village ford, all of which are built, as is everything in the area, of Cotswold stone and slate.
It’s a fascinating visit for all ages. Historians to toddlers love it. Here time stands still, as an adult you dwarf, yet appreciate the scene, as a little one it’s just your size. I’ve been as both and would go again.
Miniature bonsai trees kept to scale fill the village gardens and in summer miniature garden furniture and greenhouses can be seen. Listen carefully next to the two churches and you’ll hear the choir singing. MineEven the River Windrush has running water in the model village and the stone bridges for which Bourton is famous for.
Each tiny stone, slate, window and plant was so painstakingly hand crafted and now just as carefully preserved. The Model Village of Bourton-on-the-Water was created by a previous landlord of the Old New Inn who saw his village changing and wanted to preserve its 1930s charm. Local craftsmen took five years to build it, and its official opening was in 1937 on the Coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (the late Queen Mother.) You’ll find the whole ‘village’ is in the pub garden of the Old New Inn.
Unfortunately even the paths are to scale and prams, buggies and wheelchairs don’t fit therefore the less able-bodied cannot enter but can view the model village for free from the front.
Where: The Model Village, The Old New Inn, Bourton-on-the-Water, Gloucestershire
See more photos of the Model Village on Instagram or visit The Old New Inn
