The Model Village

On screen

Bourton-on-the-Water's Model Village is linked in the Father Brown record to The Winds of Change, where it supplied the murderer's model-village setting. The attraction is a miniature representation of Bourton itself, behind The Old New Inn, so a visit offers a useful comparison between the screen setting, the models and the full-size village nearby.

Its operator describes stone buildings reflecting the village of the 1930s, with carefully scaled planting and a tiny version of the Model Village within the model. The pleasure is in looking closely at the buildings, streets and gardens rather than treating the attraction as a display of television props.

Models may be undergoing maintenance, and their present-day appearance should not be expected to reproduce every detail seen in an episode.

Visiting The Model Village

Check The Old New Inn's official Model Village page for entry arrangements and the current seasonal opening information. The operator says visitors pay on arrival rather than pre-booking and that card payments are required. Read that information again before travelling, since visitor arrangements can change.

Access needs deserve particular attention: many paths are too narrow for wheelchairs, and the operator describes a limited view through the side gate rather than access around the complete site. Mobility scooters and motorised wheelchairs are not admitted, while the narrow paths and steps also restrict pushchairs and walking frames.

Contact the attraction if you need to understand exactly what can be seen from the accessible viewing area. The official page also warns that some surfaces can be uneven or slippery in wet weather. Plan a careful walk around the models, then continue into Bourton to compare the miniature buildings with their real surroundings.

For arrival, the Cotswolds National Landscape lists paid village car parks and bus connections in its Bourton walking information. Use visitor parking rather than assuming that the inn's forecourt or a nearby residential lane is available. A combined miniature-village and riverside visit gives the television stop a useful place within a wider day out.

Check the filming source