Babbacombe Model Village | |
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General information | |
Type | Miniature Village |
Address | Hampton Avenue Babbacombe Torquay Devon TQ1 3LA |
Coordinates | 50°28′58″N3°31′14″W / 50.482705°N 3.520458°W |
Construction started | 1963 |
Technical details | |
Floor area | 4 acres (1.6 ha) |
Website | |
Official Website |
Babbacombe Model Village is a miniature village and railway located in Babbacombe in Torquay, Devon.
The model village was opened in 1963 by Tom & Ruth Dobbins, [1] [2] who had previously opened another model village at Southport in 1957.
The site is set on approximately 4 acres (1.6 ha). There are over 400 models along with 1,000 ft (300 m) of model train track in the village. The model village is primarily one town, an entirely fictional one, but many buildings within them are based on UK prototypes and landmarks (including Stonehenge and the Shard).
Names of shops and other features include humorous puns, such as Marks and Sparks, Woolies, Amanda Lofe - Home Baked Bread & Cakes, Ivor Faggot Butcher ('I've a faggot' - a reference to the traditional English meat dish), A. Kingbody Sports Centre ('Aching Body') and Terry Bull Gardening Service, Decorators ('Terrible').
The village also includes a model railway, castle and windmill.
Some of the popular models at the village include the burning house, Stonehenge, the Shard, the EastEnders indoor scene and the dragon castle.
The model village appeared in an episode of Holiday of My Lifetime in 2014 with Len Goodman and Matt Allwright. It also appeared on The One Show in the same year. In 2019, the model village was used as a filming location for Don’t Forget the Driver .
In summer months, the Babbacombe Model Village is open until 10.30pm, weeknights with the village illuminations switched on. The Shard in the centre of the village is also lit up. [3]
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A miniature park is a display of miniature buildings and models, usually as a recreational and tourist attraction open to the public. A miniature park may contain a model of a single city or town, often called a miniature city or model village, or it can contain a number of different sets of models.
Babbacombe Cliff Railway, also known as the Babbacombe Cliff Lift, is a funicular railway in the town of Torquay in the English county of Devon. It links Babbacombe Downs with Oddicombe Beach. The line formerly ran every day between 09:30 and 17:30, with a closure period in winter for maintenance. A bell is rung 30 and 15 minutes before closing.
Babbacombe is a district of Torquay, Devon, England. It is notable for Babbacombe Model Village, the Babbacombe Theatre and its clifftop green, Babbacombe Downs, from which Oddicombe Beach is accessed via Babbacombe Cliff Railway. Frequent buses connect Babbacombe with Torquay town centre while service 22 operates between Dawlish Warren and South Devon College.
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The Babbacombe Theatre is a theatre in Babbacombe in Torquay, South Devon, England. Refurbished in 2009, the venue has been part of the Bay’s tourism industry since the 1930s, and is known for staging variety shows, particularly since 1986 when Colin Matthews took over the venue.