The last model village in Yorkshire
Bondville is a little wonder but a lot of work, with 800 model figures, 200 buildings and a working harbour
A TREASURE land of little wonders can be found on Bondville’s tiny shores.
This is Yorkshire’s last model village, bought a decade ago by a couple who wanted to buy its (full-size) tea shop.
Now, ahead of its reopening tomorrow as one of Bridlington’s biggest tourist attractions, there has been plenty of work to get it ready for the public.
For Tim Whitehead, who runs Bondville, in Sewerby, with wife Jan, it’s been a long winter of painting, preparing and pruning, as well as handcrafting dozens of doors.
He said: “The thing is, while it’s easy to close at the end of summer, there’s a lot to do to get it back open. We are very much governed by the weather.”
Bondville, built in the 1980s, was one of three of its kind with the others in Hornsea and Withernsea. Now it’s the last one.
The village is one-twelfth scale. There are around 200 buildings, a working harbour, with fishing boats and yachts. There is also a waterfall, canal complete with barges, as well as an abbey, three churches, three pubs, and even a tiny cricket pitch.
The Yorkshire Post makes an appearance, splashed across a billboard on the side of a bus. Then there’s the Bridlington Free Press, among local businesses represented on site.
Mr Whitehead said running Bondville involves endless hours in his workshop. There are 800 model figures, with each needing painting every year. The boats, faded by the end of summer, all need fresh paint. And with the 200 buildings, there are about 350 doors.
“These have to be handcrafted,” he said. “And all that’s before you even look at the grounds, of course.
“Because it’s bespoke, and in miniature, it’s harder almost. It is very much a slow process.
“Really, we don’t get a lot of time off in the year,” he added. “Getting ready is a major operation.” The workshop has been busy all winter, while the gardens and grounds started to take shape from February. March winds and April showers mean this week has been busy.
“It’s been an uphill struggle to bring it back to glory – I think we’re finally there now,” Mr Whitehead said. And of the craft, he laughs: “We had to learn. I’m not a modelmaker by a long chalk. I was in the motor trade.
“I only bought the model village so my wife could have a tea shop. I thought I could probably sort the rest out. It’s a much bigger project than I ever imagined.”
There is something special about miniature models, he believes, which appeals to the child in us all. Dolls, dinky toys, tiny trains, all are smaller replicas of the real thing.
He said: “We are reliving our childhood with places like this. For children, it’s the novelty, while for older generations they do appreciate the craftsmanship.
“It’s part and parcel of many people’s childhoods. And it’s the only one in Yorkshire. They are fewer and further between.”
We are reliving our childhood with places like this. Tim Whitehead who runs Bondville, in Bridlington, with his wife Jan.