Model Village UKThe British Scale & Miniature Guide
A Personal Heritage Record · Saundersfoot, Pembrokeshire

The Miniature Town of Victorian Tenby

Thirty years of full-time craftsmanship, recreating historic Tenby within its medieval castle walls across five sheltered coastal acres on Valley Road near Saundersfoot.

The Thirty-Year Craft

Beginning around 1989, my parents embarked on what would become three decades of continuous, full-time physical labor: creating a permanent architectural portrait of historic Tenby as it stood in the nineteenth century.

Guided by Victorian Ordnance Survey maps, the town was surveyed and built to a consistent 1:12 architectural scale. Rather than relying on lightweight fiberglass or timber that quickly degrades in the Welsh climate, every building was permanently rooted into the valley hillside with enduring materials:

  • Castle Walls & Towers: Hand built stone by stone using individually self-cast miniature masonry blocks made from pigmented concrete to authentically replicate the historic limestone.
  • House & Harbor Walls: Cast in durable fiber-reinforced concrete, engineered to withstand decades of salt air and Atlantic storms.
  • Miniature Roofs: Individually detailed with composite glass fibre and genuine slate.
  • Historic Landmarks: Complete with the medieval town walls, iconic Five Arches gateway, St Mary’s Church with its towering spire, and Castle Hill fortification ruins.
  • The Harbor & Sea: Pastel Georgian fishermen’s cottages, stone quaysides, and an engineered freshwater lake representing the surrounding tidal waters of Carmarthen Bay.

Pembrokeshire's Coast & Saundersfoot's Heritage

Home to the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park (established in 1952), the UK's only predominantly coastal national park. Stretching across 186 miles of dramatic sea cliffs, golden sandy bays, and Norman coastal fortresses, the county welcomes millions of visitors each year seeking authentic maritime tranquility.

Tenby and Saundersfoot form the historic dual anchors of South Pembrokeshire's tourist trade. While Tenby boasts iconic Norman stone walls and pastel Georgian quaysides, Saundersfoot offers a wide, gently sloping sandy bay protected by Carmarthen Bay's wooded headlands.

Saundersfoot has a distinguished 19th-century maritime story. Originally developed in the 1830s as a bustling industrial harbor to export high-grade anthracite coal, it was served by the pioneering Saundersfoot Railway, with horse-drawn tramways running through carved rock cliff tunnels that now serve as walking paths. When the collieries closed in the early 20th century, its sheltered microclimate, pristine beaches, and green wooded valleys naturally transformed Saundersfoot into one of Wales's most cherished seaside holiday havens.

The five-acre model village site occupies a peaceful, secluded wooded valley along Valley Road in the immediate hinterland of Saundersfoot, bordering Tenby. Positioned along South Pembrokeshire's primary leisure corridor, it enjoys easy regional accessibility while remaining entirely secluded from everyday public eyes by natural topography and mature tree belts.

Archival Photography

Across thirty years of construction, extensive photography was taken documenting the initial earthworks, mold-making, stone casting, and gradual assembly of the miniature streets.

Panoramic view across the miniature harbor lake toward the town walls, terraced streets, and St Mary's Church spire
Miniature Town Overview · Circa 2013Looking across the excavated freshwater basin toward the medieval town walls, Georgian terraces, and St Mary's Church spire rising against the valley woodland.
Miniature Georgian pastel fishermen's cottages, harbor quayside, and stone warehouses reflected in the harbor water
Harbor Quayside & Fishermen's Cottages · Circa 2013Pastel Georgian facades, stone quayside, and harbor pier reflected in the calm water basin. Each building was permanently cast in fiber-reinforced concrete.
Older archival prints documenting the 1989 ground excavation, silicon mold preparation, and miniature stone casting are currently being located in our family photo albums.

The Physical Estate & Facilities

In addition to the miniature town itself, the five-acre holding was developed with substantial leisure and commercial infrastructure to support a seasonal visitor attraction:

  • Café & Tearoom Building: A substantial permanent structure designed for seated hospitality and catering service.
  • Craft Workshop & Retail Space: Dedicated studios for artisan craft production and visitor gift retail.
  • Visitor Grounds & Parking: On-site customer vehicle parking, public conveniences, entry kiosk, and storage sheds.
  • Leisure Permissions: Established planning precedents for recreational tourism, including historic consent for an adventure miniature golf layout.

Current Status & Family Home

Having devoted thirty years to creating and caring for the property, my parents have reached a time in life where ongoing physical stewardship of five acres and commercial visitor buildings is no longer practical.

Because the estate remains my parents' active private home, the site is strictly closed to the general public. To protect their peace and privacy in retirement, we kindly ask that visitors respect our family's home. The private entrance and grounds are not open for casual viewing, and unannounced visits cannot be accommodated under any circumstances.

The miniature models remain solid concrete masonry structures. Having rested undisturbed for roughly a decade, they are naturally weathered by the coastal air, ready for a sympathetic new chapter.

If you need to contact us regarding the property or domain, inquiries can be sent to .

A Personal Postscript

Why We Maintain This Directory

Visitors discovering this website frequently ask how an independent family came to hold the modelvillage.co.uk web address. The story belongs to thirty years of quiet dedication in coastal West Wales.

Beginning around 1989, my parents spent three decades undertaking a full-time labor of love: hand-building an authentic 1:12 scale replica of historic Victorian Tenby across five acres of sheltered valley grounds near Saundersfoot, Pembrokeshire. The town walls and towers were hand-built from self-cast miniature stones using pigmented concrete, house walls cast from fiber-reinforced concrete, and roofs detailed in glass fibre and slate. Guided by 19th-century cartography, it grew to include the Five Arches gateway, St Mary's Church spire, Castle Hill, and an artificial harbor lake.

We acquired this domain name twenty years ago to accompany that endeavor. Today, my parents have reached a well-earned retirement, and the property serves as their private family home. The miniature town rests quietly, closed to the general public to protect their peace.

Rather than letting the domain lapse or turn into an advertising billboard, we chose to maintain it as a clean, public guide to Britain's wonderful working model villages and miniature railways.

If you need to contact us regarding the directory or domain, you can write to .