MARTIN LOVELL visits a model village within Great Yarmouth.
Off on holidays again... we do get them you know! And back off to Sunny Suffolk.
Whilst there this time, I thought that I would venture into Norfolk to find an attraction at Great Yarmouth, namely Merrivale Model Village, which is set on the Seafront.
This model village was started in 1961 by the Dobins family. It was then sold to Lenny Baron and Francis Holmes who ran it until 2004, when it was bought by Peter Williamson and Shirley Whelan. They then ran it until retiring in 2016, when it passed into the hands of Frank and Frances Newsome.
On arriving, I was very surprised at the size of this set up; approximately 1 acre with all sorts of buildings, and a large model railway running through all parts of it. There were at least five G Scale trains on the go, with operating signals and automatic point control. Apparently Gaugemaster supplied the G Scale equipment after the original railway gave up the ghost!
I will let the pictures speak for themselves.
The site itself is also rich in a great variety of plants, which interested my friend as she is an avid gardener, and for the children there are lots of buttons to press to set off various displays.
The lake is also well stocked with a large selection of fish, which you can feed (I guess that’s why some of them are huge) and finally an old penny arcade, kitted out with traditional "One armed bandits" and the like, operating on "Old Pennies" - 1d rather than 1p.
The weather being kind meant that we spent several hours here, finishing with a welcome cup of coffee and cake at the tearoom.
All in all, a very pleasant day out, with something to suit everybody.
Hope you enjoy the pictures, and Happy Modelling.
Martin.