The Model Village
Behind the Old New Inn on the High Street sits one of England's most delightfully absurd landmarks: a one-ninth-scale replica of Bourton-on-the-Water itself, complete with tiny stone bridges, a miniature River Windrush, and bonsai-pruned trees kept perpetually at scale. It is the only Grade II listed model village in the country, and standing inside it genuinely makes you feel like a gentle giant.
Built by Craftsmen, Not Modellers
Constructed between 1936 and 1940 by local builders — not model-makers — every building was fashioned from the same honey-coloured Cotswold limestone quarried nearby, so the texture and warmth of the stone is utterly authentic at any size.
The village opened on Coronation Day of King George VI in 1937, and because the real Bourton has changed so little since, the miniature version still reads as an almost perfect time-capsule of the 1930s streetscape.
Details Worth Seeking Out
Lean in close to the tiny church and you will hear a miniature choir singing — a small audio trick that never fails to charm. The miniature gardens feature real bonsai-style trees pruned twice a year to maintain the 1:9 scale, a labour of love that most visitors walk straight past.
For an extra layer of meta-magic, find the model of the Model Village inside the Model Village — yes, it goes three levels deep — and take a moment to appreciate the sheer audacity of the thing.
The Model Village on video
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