Source of inspiration

The Vale Scene is one of the finest dioramas anywhere.

It's a source of inspiration for modellers whatever their interests.

 It contains over 100 completely accurate models of real structures that have been carefully measured and sketched. The models are all at the scale of 4mm to 1 foot (approx 30 cm).  Some of the buildings have taken over 1,000 hours to construct. 

The Vale Scene has over a scale mile of railway line on which exact copies of trains run in correct formation. 

Note the attention to details (such as gardens, people, vehicles) that make the scene so realistic.

On the first Sunday of each month members of the Pendon modelling team are on site and this can be an especially interesting time for modellers to visit.

We have a very comprehensive programme of modelling workshops covering a variety of topics through which we help modellers to acquire and develop skills. Look in What's On for details.

Images to whet your appetite!

Tap/click to expand an image and read its caption.

  • Here is Cowleaze Farmhouse complete and waiting to be installed in The Vale. The building, like all at Pendon, has walls which continue into foundations in order that the model may be installed into a landscape tray. The farm is now in The Vale, surrounded by its farm buildings and yards.

    Here is Cowleaze Farmhouse complete and waiting to be installed in The Vale. The building, like all at Pendon, has walls which continue into foundations in order that the model may be installed into a landscape tray. The farm is now in The Vale, surrounded by its farm buildings and yards.

  • A newly built farm cart is being delivered to Badbury Farm and can now be seen in the farm yard.

    A newly built farm cart is being delivered to Badbury Farm and can now be seen in the farm yard.

  • Hollyhocks bloom outside the Waggon and Horses public house. The paper flowers were originally on thin wire stems but these rusted and were replaced by the whiskers of a pet cat ‘Powderpuff’ that had passed away.

    Hollyhocks bloom outside the Waggon and Horses public house. The paper flowers were originally on thin wire stems but these rusted and were replaced by the whiskers of a pet cat ‘Powderpuff’ that had passed away.

  • This is a GWR Thorneycroft bus which plied its trade around the villages and towns within the Vale. It has arrived, chalky from the down land byways, to connect with the company’s train. Integrated transport! The railway used many Thorneycroft road vehicles; a truck can be seen outside Upper Mill.

    This is a GWR Thorneycroft bus which plied its trade around the villages and towns within the Vale. It has arrived, chalky from the down land byways, to connect with the company’s train. Integrated transport! The railway used many Thorneycroft road vehicles; a truck can be seen outside Upper Mill.

  • Parked outside the Harrow Inn and overlooked by many visitors is this tandem cycle. The prototype wheel is 28 inches in diameter, so the scale model wheel is approximately 9mm, with the spokes all present and correctly spaced. An astonishing feat of modelling. There are many cycles in Pendon, tiny in scale and impressive in detail.

    Parked outside the Harrow Inn and overlooked by many visitors is this tandem cycle. The prototype wheel is 28 inches in diameter, so the scale model wheel is approximately 9mm, with the spokes all present and correctly spaced. An astonishing feat of modelling. There are many cycles in Pendon, tiny in scale and impressive in detail.

  • Resplendent in its GWR livery is 'Castle Class' 4-6-0 loco 4073 Caerphilly Castle, built from a Malcolm Mitchell kit by Stephen Williams. The prototype was the first 4-cylinder Castle Class to be produced at Swindon in 1923. It was withdrawn in May 1960 and is preserved and on display at STEAM Museum at Swindon.

    Resplendent in its GWR livery is 'Castle Class' 4-6-0 loco 4073 Caerphilly Castle, built from a Malcolm Mitchell kit by Stephen Williams. The prototype was the first 4-cylinder Castle Class to be produced at Swindon in 1923. It was withdrawn in May 1960 and is preserved and on display at STEAM Museum at Swindon.

  • This is the Pendon Parva Sation Master's House under construction. Once all the ground floor interior is installed and the walls made true the upstairs can be started...

    This is the Pendon Parva Sation Master's House under construction. Once all the ground floor interior is installed and the walls made true the upstairs can be started...

  • The barn contains a bicycle, and old tyre and assorted odds and ends. Even hard-to-see buildings at Pendon have interiors.

    The barn contains a bicycle, and old tyre and assorted odds and ends. Even hard-to-see buildings at Pendon have interiors.

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Pendon recaptures scenes from the English countryside as it was in the 1920s and 1930s using exquisite models to explain a past era and a different way of life.

Pendon Museum Trust , Long Wittenham , Abingdon , Oxfordshire , OX14 4QD