We had been planning to visit Pendon Museum for some time, ever since we read an article about it. As it is run by volunteers it is only open on Saturday and Sunday afternoons for part of the year plus Bank Holidays. It had taken some time for its opening hours to coincide with our being in the Oxford area.
It was started by Roye England in the 1930s building a model of a thatched pub and everything has developed since then. There are three main scenes, each one with meticulously made intricate buildings – an immense amount of time has been taken over each one and the detail is amazing. They are all copies of buildings which existed in the 1930s and 40s. Railway trains, again all individually made, run through the beautiful landscapes. The longer you gaze at it the more you see of the finer points and the more you appreciate the quality and accuracy of the buildings, people and general scenery.
Volunteers are near all the layouts and are very willing to tell you about the history and development of both the museum and each individual scene. There is also a shop and a small snack bar.
This museum is well worth a visit if you are in the area – we were there about an hour, just looking at and admiring the layouts, it is probably not worth a long journey unless you are a model enthusiast but we enjoyed it. Their website is www.pendonmuseum.com.
