Miniature park
A miniature park is a display of miniature buildings and models, usually as a recreational and tourist attraction 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.
History
While working as a junior architect on the Hampstead Garden Suburb in 1907, Charles Paget Wade created a model village, named 'Fladbury' in the rear garden of his lodgings.[1]. It was later relocated to Snowshill Manor, his house in Gloucestershire, where, after falling into disrepair for some years, it can be visited, renamed to 'Wolf's Cove'.[2] There is evidence to suggest the existence of private model villages and miniature parks since the 19th century, but it was only in the 1930s to 1950s that the genre became tourist attractions.[citation needed] Early examples include Bekonscot and Bourton-on-the-Water[3] in the UK and Madurodam in The Hague.[citation needed]
Variations on a theme
Most model villages and parks are built to a consistent scale; varying from 1:76 as used by the intricately detailed Pendon in England up to the 1:9 scale of Wimborne Model Town.
There has been a move away from the model village concept since the mid- to late 20th century towards a miniature park concept.[citation needed] Model villages are typically larger-scale, sit in a cohesive miniature landscape and allow viewing and physical interaction with the exhibits, such as publicly accessed streets and urban areas. Miniature parks however, are primarily concerned with the display of exhibits in their own right, viewed from a distance. Model railways, rivers and roads may provide a continuation between miniature parks exhibits.
List of notable miniature parks
Europe
Austria
Belgium
Denmark
- Legoland Billund, Billund (the original Legoland)
France
Germany
- Legoland Deutschland, Günzburg, Bavaria
- Miniatur Wunderland, Hamburg (indoor)
Italy
Netherlands
Portugal
Russia
- Grand Maket Rossiya, Saint Petersburg (indoor)
Slovakia
Spain
Switzerland
Ukraine
England
- Babbacombe Model Village, Babbacombe, Devon
- Bekonscot, Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire
- Bourton-on-the-Water model village, Bourton-on-the-Water, Gloucestershire, opened in 1937.
- Haigh Hall Miniature Railway, Wigan
- Legoland Windsor in Windsor
- Pendon Museum, Pendon, Oxfordshire
- Southport Model Railway Village
- Tucktonia, Dorset, closed in 1985
- Wimborne Model Town
- 'Wolf's Cove' at Snowshill Manor
Americas
Brazil
- Mini Mundo, Gramado, Rio Grande do Sul, opened in 1981
Canada
- Canadia Niagara Falls, Ontario, opened in 1966 - closed
- Cullen Gardens and Miniature Village, Whitby, Ontario, opened in 1980 - closed in the mid-2000s
- Little Canada, Toronto, Ontario, opened in 2021
- Woodleigh Replicas, Burlington, Prince Edward Island, closed
- Tivoli Miniature World, Jordan, Ontario, closed in the 1990s
United States
- Tiny Town, Morrison, Colorado, opened in 1921
- Tiny Town, Springfield, Missouri, opened in 1925
- Miniature Railroad & Village, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania opened 1920s
- Ave Maria Grotto, Cullman, Alabama, opened in 1933
- Roadside America, Pennsylvania, opened in 1935, closed 2020
- Choo Choo Barn, Strasburg, Pennsylvania
- Storybook Land Canal Boats, Disneyland, California opened in 1956
- Palestine Park, Chautauqua Institution in Chautauqua, New York
- Splendid China (Florida), opened in 1993, closed 2003
- Holy Land Experience, Orlando, Florida, the park has a scale model of Jerusalem, Israel, closed 2020
- Forbidden Gardens, Katy, Texas, opened in 1997, closed 2011
- San Diego Model Railroad Museum, San Diego, California, opened in 1981
- Legoland California, Carlsbad, California, opened in 1999
- Legoland Florida Winter Haven, opened 2011
- Legoland New York Goshen, opened 2021
- Northlandz, Raritan Township, New Jersey, opened in 1991
Asia/Pacific Region
Australia
China
- Splendid China, Shenzhen
- Window of the World, Shenzhen
- Beijing World Park
- Grand World Scenic Park, outskirts of Guangzhou, closed
- Legoland Shanghai, Shanghai
Indonesia
Japan
- Legoland Japan, Nagoya, Aichi
- Small Worlds Miniature Museum, Kōtō, Tokyo (indoor)
- Tobu World Square, Kinugawa Onsen, Nikkō, Tochigi
Malaysia
- Islamic Heritage Park, Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu
- Legoland Malaysia, Iskandar Malaysia, Johor
- Tropical Village, Ayer Hitam, Johor
South Korea
Thailand
Middle East
Israel
Turkey
United Arab Emirates
References
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- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Aling, Michael. "Backgarden Worldbuilding The Architecture of the Model Village" (PDF). University of Greenwich. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Model village brought back to life in Cotswolds". BBC News. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Davies, Caroline (18 April 2013). "Bourton-on-the-Water model village gets Grade II listed status". The Guardian. Guardian News & Media Limited. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
External links
- International Association of Miniature Parks: Almost all members are in Europe.
- Agilitynut feature
- The Gauge One Model Railway Association
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