• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Chandler's Ford Today

  • Home
  • About
    • About Chandler’s Ford
    • Chandler’s Ford War Memorial Research
  • Blog
    • Blogging Tips
  • Event
    • Upcoming Events
  • Community
    • Groups
    • Churches
    • Schools
    • GP Surgeries
    • Leisure
    • Library
    • Charities
    • Eastleigh Basics Bank
    • Community Food Larder at Chandler’s Ford Methodist Church
  • Contact
    • Subscribe
  • Site Policies
You are here: Home / Community / Days Out: Pendon Museum

Days Out: Pendon Museum

December 31, 2014 By chippy minton Leave a Comment

Here’s the first of what may become an occasional (or very occasional) series of suggestions for days out.

It’s my opportunity to recommend places that you might not otherwise hear about, or think of to visit.

My rough criteria will be that it has to be do­able as a day trip, and have admission charges that won’t break the bank – though I may stretch those criteria in special circumstances.

I’ll start with the Pendon Museum (OX14 4QD), located in Long Wittenham near Didcot, Oxfordshire.

Pendon image 2

A model railway exhibition?

At first glance at the website you might think “oh yes, a model railway exhibition”, but that would be grossly underselling it. Yes, there are model railway layouts – but that is not the purpose of the museum.

The exhibits depict the rural landscapes of the 1920s and 1930s ­of which the railway forms a part.

The museum was founded 60 years ago by an Australian named Roye England. He saw how the area of the Vale of the White Horse (which runs roughly from the Didcot/Abingdon area westwards towards Swindon) was being permanently changed by modernisation.

Pendon image 3

Thatched roofs were being replaced with slate; stone roads were being relaid with tarmac; old buildings were being demolished to make way for new ones.

Building a scale model of a typical village

Roye decided that he would preserve the memory of how thing were by building a scale model of a typical village. The idea of Pendon was born.

Sixty years on, and the idea is nearing completion – quite possibly far beyond Roye’s original vision.

There are two large layouts (and a few smaller ones): one depicts a Dartmoor scene, the other the Vale of the White Horse. Every model is based on a real building from the area, and is the result of painstakingly careful measurement and observation.

The models – and their setting – are incredibly detailed and realistic (binoculars are on hand so your can get a close­up view). When surveying one barn, a large spider’s web was noticed in the corner of the doorway. That web made it to the finished model.

Pioneer of modelling techniques

These aren’t models that are put together during an evening while watching TV. They take weeks, if not months, to complete. Many modelling techniques that are now used throughout the world were pioneered on these models.

The models are set in a large tableau that accurately represents the local landscape. Gently rolling hills, realistic variations in vegetation colour, roads, railways and a disused canal.

A guide told me that it took half a day to set the sheep in a pasture, until a sheep farmer was satisfied that they were arranged in a way that sheep would naturally position themselves.

A glimpse into the past

Pendon Museum provides a glimpse into the past that photographs cannot provide. Here the images are in colour and three­ dimensional.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

You can almost imagine yourself to be an inch high and wandering through the scene. You can marvel at the skills of the model maker. And yes, there are some model railways.

Vital Statistics:

View Larger MapDriving Directions

Address: Pendon Museum, Long Wittenham, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 4QD

Distance (approx.): 60 miles; 1 hour

Opening Times: Most weekends and bank holidays; some Wednesdays during the summer and school holidays. Opens at 11:00. Last admission 16:15 (summer), 15:15 (winter)

Admission Price: adults £7; OAPs £6; Children (7­ – 16) £5; Under ­7s free. Family ticket (two adults, three children) £23

Visit Time: two hours

Website: Pendon Museum

Disclaimer: these details are (probably) correct at time of writing. Please check website before visiting for variations in opening times and for information on facilities provided.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Google
  • Email

Related posts:

Eastleigh Museum FeatureMr & Mrs Brown At Eastleigh Museum Blashford Lakes New Forest review chippy mintonDays Out: Blashford Lakes Hampshire Historical Connections In Praise of Royal Victoria and Itchen Valley Country Parks HilliersGardens9Spring is here, spring is here. Life is skittles and life is Beer
Tags: days out, history, museum, recommendations, review, travel

About chippy minton

I've lived in Chandler's Ford and Eastleigh for most of my working life, having been brought up in the south Midlands, and schooled in the Home Counties.

I work in IT, and my hobbies include bell ringing, walking, cycling and running.

I enjoy live theatre and music, and try to watch many of the shows that are performed in the Eastleigh area.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Search

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to Chandler's Ford Today blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Archives

Top Posts & Pages

Why Write Fiction

Categories

Tags

am writing arts and crafts books Chandler's Ford Chandler's Ford Today Chandler’s Ford community charity Christianity Christmas church community creative writing culture Eastleigh Eastleigh Borough Council education entertainment event family fundraising gardening gardening tips good neighbours Hiltingbury Hiltingbury Road history hobby how-to Joan Adamson Joan Adelaide Goater local businesses local interest memory Methodist Church music nature news reading review social storytelling theatre travel Winchester Road writing

Recent Comments

  • C. Klingler on Gladly, the Cross-eyed Bear and Other Mondegreens
  • Robbie Sprague on VE Day – Thursday 8th May 1945
  • Mike Sedgwick on VE Day – Thursday 8th May 1945
  • Chippy on VE Day – Thursday 8th May 1945
  • Allison Symes on Review – The Chameleons – Sudden Death at Thornbury Manor
  • Janet Williams on Review – The Chameleons – Sudden Death at Thornbury Manor

Regular Writers and Contributors

Janet Williams Allison Symes Mike Sedgwick Rick Goater Doug Clews chippy minton Martin Napier Roger White Andy Vining Gopi Chandroth Nicola Slade Wellie Roger Clark Ray Fishman Hazel Bateman SO53 News

Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal by Joan Adelaide Goater

Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal by Joan Adelaide Goater

Growing up in Chandler’s Ford: 1950s – 1960s by Martin Napier

Growing up in Chandler’s Ford: 1950s – 1960s by Martin Napier

My Memories of the War Years in Chandler’s Ford 1939 – 1945 by Doug Clews

My Memories of the War Years in Chandler’s Ford 1939 – 1945 by Doug Clews

Chandler’s Ford War Memorial Research by Margaret Doores

Chandler’s Ford War Memorial Research by Margaret Doores

History of Hiltonbury Farmhouse by Andy Vining

History of Hiltonbury Farmhouse by Andy Vining

My Family History in Chandler’s Ford and Hursley by Roger White

My Family History in Chandler’s Ford and Hursley by Roger White

Do You Remember The Hutments? By Nick John

Do You Remember The Hutments? By Nick John

Memory of Peter Green by Wendy Green

Memory of Peter Green by Wendy Green

History of Vickers Armstrongs (Supermarine) Hursley Park by Dave Key

History of Vickers Armstrongs (Supermarine) Hursley Park by Dave Key

Reviews of local performances and places

Reviews of local performances and places

Copyright © 2025 Chandler's Ford Today. WordPress. Log in

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.