A week in Bucks - Bekonscot Model Village

This was a real nostalgia trip for me. I vividly remember visiting Bekonscot Model Village sometime in the late 80s when we were visiting family friends who lived near Beaconsfield. It was my first real exposure to puns, as many of the business names in the model village are a play on words. (The one I really remember is Scratchitt & Reckitt, Home Removals.)

As we were on holiday nearby, visiting Bekonscot again was firmly on the to do list for our week in Buckinghamshire. I have learned not to expect too much from revisiting things I remember being great when I was a kid - but this really lived up to the nostalgic memories!

There is a real mix of buildings in the village, with castles and harbours and stately homes alongside little cottages and industry. The buildings are all made by Bekonscot staff, carrying on the traditions of the visionary eccentrics who founded it. One or two buildings have fallen foul of the weather - a bit like in the Miniland part of Legoland that we visited the same week. A difference is that, despite some worn areas needing a touch up, Bekonscot still felt very loved whereas Legoland is a much more corporate venture and the worn exhibits felt more like neglect there. 

The windmill is iconic

Some buildings have scenes inside too

When I was a kid I loved the large model trains that rattle around the village. There were lots of these going around, along with several other moving bits and bobs. 

The village even had a cliff railway!

There is also a large ride on train now. I said to Cathy I didn't remember it from my childhood visits, as we would definitely have ridden on it. I checked with the driver and the railway was added in 2001. I told the driver that I thought it hadn't been here when I visited as a child and he said "Oh, no, that would be long before we got the train." I thought that was a bit cheeky, to be honest. But I suppose he was right.

And finally, I mentioned the puns - here are some of the ones that really made me chuckle.

Overall I felt like this disproved the saying that "you can't go back". Maybe when it's something quirky like a model village, you can!