Ramsgate Model Village closed in 2003 due to falling visitor numbers and continued incidents of vandalism. The site is now a private garden.
However, we are pleased to announce that some of the former model houses have been bought and restored to original condition by Bekonscot Model Village in Buckinghamshire. Ramsgate Model Village lives on here at Bekonscot - The Original Model Village. They can be seen opposite Chessnade Zoo, near the Bekonscot entrance.
One of the creators of Ramsgate's Model Village trained at Bekonscot in the 1940s, so it is perhaps appropriate that they have been returned here. They will form the basis of a Model Village Museum, dedicated to preserving artefacts from model villages and towns of Britain.
We'd love to hear from you if you have memories or photos of Ramsgate's Model Village, that you'd like to share.
Photos of Ramsgate Model Village in its heyday can be seen here:
www.whitstablepier.com/mv
A few buildings from Ramsgate Model Village are on display at Salmestone Grange, Margate:
www.salmestonegrange.co.uk
And also more (plus vehicles and figures) are at Merrivale Model Village, Great Yarmouth:
www.greatyarmouthmodelvillage.co.uk |
