The Coolidge examiner., 1938-04-28
Visitors Viewing Toy-Sized BekOnscot
Wonderful Miniature Village Of
Bekonscot Attracts MonY Visitors

Bekonscot Att,
Prepared by National Geographic Society
Washington. D. C.-WNU Service.
A MAILING Bekonscot is a
~ two-acre Lilliput, art
L h fully created in flaw
less miniatures of wood and
stone, metal, stucco, bright
paint, and glass. To the fas-
cinated crowds that thrOng
its narrow paths and streets
each summer, it is a thou
sand square yards of bliss.
For six years Mr.. Roland Calling
ham of Beaconsfeld, has worked TO
build this complete model village in
the charming rock garden of his
Buckinghamshire home, about an
hour by road from London. Orig
inally planned simply to decorate
this garden, the little town was
opened to the public when its Won
ders brought it unexpected fame.
Here, where hip-high houses Dor
der yardWide streets busy with the
traffic of toy automobiles and peo-
pie less than two fingers broad,
every man and boy steps naturally
into Gulliverian role and every
little girl plays Alice in a miniature
Wonderland
What is the use OF a book !"
thought Alice, without pictures or
Conversations" Bekonscot sur
passes that young lady's ideal in
fiction by providing real models,
which can be handled as well as
seen, to illustrate its story of an
English village.
Village Has Every Detail.
From a swelling knoll at one cor.
ner of this Utopia for youngsters Of
any age the visitor overlooks an
ideal. thriving country town spread
out below: Houses, half-timbered
and Of brick, with tiled roofs and
painted trim; three carefully de-
signed churches; post office; an
up-to-the-mInute railway system
with speeding freight and passenger
trains, electrically operated signals
and switches; Main street shops
with window stock displays; flood
lighted airport with planes of many
types and sizes; luxury hotels;
docks, with the latest fashion in
mechanical hosting equipment;
sleek ocean liners coming and going
in the harbor; and final touch of
reaIsmD model men and women
of appropriate size scattered ev-
erywhere in poses suitable to their
activities.
Everything is in correct proper
ton, with no minutest detail
neglected - but an inch Bekon-
scot is equivalent to foot outside
its gates.
Bekonscot's principal house Of
worship-and one of its leading at
Observation-Disclosures little rise be-
hind the town. A Gordon of visi-
tors usually surrounds this church,
whose elegance matches that of
many a "grown-up" structure.
Forty-five such churches, piled
one upon the other, would not equal
the height of Westminster Abbey, yet
the smaller shrine is built of just
as carefully cut stone, is also en-
riched with stained glass, also is
thanked by massive" flying but
tresses. Bells even chime out from
its belfry, and muffled organ and
choir music from photograph rec.
ords) comes in just the right vol
ume from within.
Pleasant homes of timber and stuc-
CO line fashionable Hill Crescent
near North Bekonscot station. Spot
less white fences enclose smooth
green lawns-carefully clipped with
a pair Of scissors. You almost ex-
pect to see the little people run out
from their houses, jump into their
parked cars, and hurry off to the
picnic grounds!
The pulse Of business beats strong
est in High street, where stores of
many kinds line the block extend
ing from Church street to East
street, which leads down tosBekon-
scot station. Products for sale in
each shop are skillfully displayed in
the windoWs-electrical appliances
in the electricians, meat in the
butchers, cakes and rolls in the
bakers, antiques in the antique
dealers. even deeds and wills in
the attorney'si
Largely by the meticulous render
ing of detail have Bekonscot's build
ers achieved such an excellent APP
pearance of reality. Red mail boxes,
like painted spools; tiny telephone
booths; ultramodern metal paving
blocks the size of dominoes; rain
cutters and drain pipes no thicker
than your little fnger-faithful little
touches dress up" the town to look
like the real thing.
Automobiles and Huntsmen.
Automobiles are parked beside
curbs or keep to the LETT as If