There is something magical about a model village

Or indeed a model town

As a family we have visited Bekenscot many times

And the children are keen to go back again

But last week

On our way from Kent to Cornwall

We called into Wimborne Minster

To visit Wimborne Model Town

To see what it was like

As with Bekenscot

Wimborne is in the heart of the town

You have to park in a public car park

For a very reasonable price

And enter the site on foot

Wimborne Model Town is fully accessible by buggy

And for wheelchairs

The model town is very obviously well loved

And well looked after

We met and talked to a number of employees and volunteers

Everyone was keen to talk to us and to the children

There was lots to do and see

The place and the people were fascinating

Steeped in history

With tales to tell

The model town depicts Wimborne Minster

As it was in the 1950s

It is a wonderful way to see how life has changed

To compare then and now

To look at how retail has changed

For local families it must be so interesting to see

How their hometown is the same and different

To compare then and now

The team at Wimborne Model Town

Have created some really good worksheets

For children of all ages

And for grown ups

To faciliate learning the history and geography of the town

We tried a simple picture I Spy

And a couple of more challenging scavenger hunts

We also looked at a sheet to support making comparisons

Between 1950s Wimborne and what the real town is like now

Someone has spent a lot of time creating these resources

And they add great value to the attraction as a family day out

Or a place for education and learning

The I Spy sheets encourage children

And their grown ups to really look closely at the model town

And appreciate the attention to detail

In the work of the modellers

We began our visit by letting the children explore all the buildings

We had been in the car a long while

And they needed to let off some steam

They loved being giants

Roaming the streets

Peeking through windows

Like The BFG

It was really good to show them how things have changed over time

Like telephones and televisions

It was good to talk about all the different shops

We talked about toys through the ages

And what sweets were like in ‘the olden days’

The whole experience was surreal

Stepping off the 21st century road

To the streets of the 1950s

Stepping back from the fast noisy life of now

To the slow quiet life of then

It was really lovely

Very Enid Blyton

In fact Bea was perfectly dressed for the day

In her Milly Molly Mandy dress

From The Essential One

Bea loved looking at the collection of dolls houses

Stored and displayed by Wimborne Model Town

And William

Of course

Loved the miniature trains

Esther and William loved playing Daddy at giant chess

While Bea and I explored the little sensory gardens

And played in all the playhouses on Wendy Street

We had lunch in the little cafe

Sausage rolls were reasonably priced and tasty

All in all this was a wonderful way

To while a way a few hours

Lost in the charm

Of this beautiful model town

I hope that one day we will return again

And have time to explore the actual town

That after our day of play

We feel we already know so well

Wimborne is famous for its Minster

And there is a scale replica

In the model town

If you happen to visit

Open the window and take a peek

There is a wedding going on

Attended by a Six of Brownies

In vintage Brownie uniform

Just like I used to wear

Touches like these

That touch on memories

Nostalgia

Mean this is a trip worth taking

For all the family

We were given free entry to Wimborne Model Town for the purpose of this review