The Model Tudor Village - Fitzroy Gardens, East Melbourne

            Just on the edge of the Melbourne Central Business District's formal grid of streets, you will find the beautiful Fitzroy Gardens.  A haven of green with avenues of elms, lush rolling lawns and beautiful seasonal plantings the gardens are populated with various buildings and points of interest.

One of the latter which divides opinion is the Model Tudor Village.  Presented to the people of the city of Melbourne by the grateful citizens of Lambeth in England in 1948, in appreciation of gifts of food dispatched from Victoria to England during the Second World War and in the severe food shortages immediately after the war, the village is either loved and admired, or considered twee.  I happen to be one of the former, and I love visiting it several times a year, where I will often spend an hour or more.  It never ceases to give me great pleasure, and I often discover new details I have not noticed before as the village sits in its own landscaped miniature countryside.

The Miniature Tudor Village which is situated in the centre of the Fitzroy Gardens, was modelled in cement in 1943 by Mr. Edgar Wilson, a 77 year old pensioner who lived in Hamilton Road, Norwood, London, who carried out the task as a hobby.  He built three such villages during his lifetime.

The one he presented to the citizens of Melbourne was officially opened by the Right Honourable Lord Mayor of Melbourne, Councillor Sir Raymond Connelly, on 21st May, 1948.  The model buildings represent a typical Kentish village built during the Tudor period of English history.  The village is composed of various thatched cottages, a village church complete with stained glass windows made from colourful ornamental tile scraps, a village school, two oast houses used for kilning (drying) hops as part of the brewing process, the Oast Inn, the Pilgrim's Rest, a Toll House, a mill complete with water wheel, barns, stocks, pump, and all public buildings which make up one of the delightful villages.  Also included is a scale model of Shakespeare's home and Anne Hathaway’s cottage.  The whole village is set amid a miniature sculpted landscape populated with dwarf varieties of trees growing around paths and roads, a babbling brook, a village green and the houses of the village themselves. 

Of the three villages presented by Mr. Wilson, the Melbourne village is the only one still complete.  Six houses were presented to the Lambeth Council on 27th October 1948 for Vauxhall Park.  They were subsequently located on the site laid out by the Borough Engineer, but were damaged and vandalised over the years and they fell into disrepair and were almost lost.  Luckily in more recent years they have been restored and are now a treasured part of Vauxhall Park.  A set of houses was also given to Lambeth for Brockwell Park.  Sadly only one of these remains.

The Fitzroy Gardens was named after Sir Charles Augustus Fitzroy (1796-1858), Governor of New South Wales (1846-1851) and Governor-General of the Australian Colonies (1851-1855).  The Gardens have a long history of over 150 years, few other capital cities can boast such a significant garden so close to the City's centre. As crown land the City of Melbourne are the custodians to preserve and oversee this magnificent garden, visited by over 2 million local, interstate and international visitors each year, it is one of the major attractions in Melbourne.  It features many beautiful statues, a bandstand, the Temple of the Winds, a conservatory and Captain Cook's Cottage.

Taken in: Australia / Victoria / Jolimont (show map)

Taken on: July 30, 2018

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Sets appears in: • The Fitzroy Gardens • The Model Tudor Village, Fitzroy Gardens

Groups appears in: • Australian Images • Melbourne and Beyond more » • Trove: Australia in Pictures • Historic Australia 1901-1945 • Gardens of the World • victoria australia • Gardens & Parks of the World • My Australia • Australia-down-under • The Best of Australia and New Zealand • Melbourne, it's my city • They Dont Make Them Like They Used To • 1948 • 1943 • Garden Statues and Ornaments • ! F l i c k r | S t y l e ! • School of Digital Photography • City of Melbourne • Melbourne - One City, Many Photos • FITZROY GARDENS - Melbourne AU « less

Camera: Canon DIGITAL IXUS 80 IS, f/4.0, 1/125 sec, 11.6mm, ISO 80 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon DIGITAL IXUS 80 IS
Aperture:	f/4.0
Exposure Time:	0.008 sec (1/125)
Focal Length:	11.6mm
ISO:	80
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Auto, Did not fire
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
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