Cotswold village 1950s?

**Millimodels** · #1 01-29-2015, 03:05 PM

Perhaps someone else will remember this.
Back in the 1950s my father was starting to build a OO model railway in our cellar in Bishop's Castle, Shropshire, UK. He had a set of card model buildings that I believe came with a book about Cotswold villages, and for some reason I think it was a Penguin or Pelican publication. It may have come to his attention through his being the art master at the local school.
When we moved house he changed scale to TT for his next layout and the buildings disappeared.
I've never been able to find out any more about it but I do have an old photo of the railway (as far as it got before we moved) with the models in the background.
Anyone know anything about them?

Robin Madge

**SCEtoAUX** · #2 01-29-2015, 03:29 PM

Did a quick search and found this listing:
Penguin First Editions :: Early First Edition Penguin Books :: penguinfirsteditions.com
Perhaps you can use the information on that site to find the books for sale somewhere.

**Diderick A. den Bakker** · #3 01-30-2015, 03:02 AM

I regularly get collections to try and sell for the owner - I recently got part 1 of this series (also numbered PC7A), which is now lying in front of me. I also googled some book searching sites - there are quite a few on offer, but at staggering prices: from 100 GBP (ca. 150 USD) for one issue, 500 GBP for the series of three... Probably aimed at puffin-collectors.
PM me if anyone is interested.

**Millimodels** · #4 01-30-2015, 01:56 PM

Thanks for the information, I don't think that I will be buying any for nostalgic reasons at the prices they seem to be now!
I certainly can identify the manor house and the pub buildings from the Cotswold series. I don't think there were any of the half-timbered buildings even though they would have been more appropriate to the area that we were living in, there is a beautiful cruck construction building just along the main street from where we were living. All old oak beams with herring bone brick infill panels and not a right-angle to be seen! I visited it a few times when a family friend moved into it.
Well I might just keep an eye out for some sets at car-boot sales!
Robin Madge

**kcorbin** · #5 02-01-2015, 03:47 PM

You could check to see if the book is still under copyright protection. If not then some good quality digital scanning is a sensible investment.

Penguin Books the company that published this series was purchased. In 2013 it became Penguin Random House. So who knows given the current popularity of paper buildings perhaps they will publish the series in a new edition. A letter writing campaign requesting that would certainly be persuasive.

**ridetheory** · #6 02-01-2015, 06:53 PM

Worldcat reveals that it is available for interlibrary loan:

The Cotswold village : in three parts (Book, 1947) [WorldCat.org]

I've put in a request for it at my local library, so you'll have to wait!

**kcorbin** · #7 02-02-2015, 12:36 AM

Sorry ridetheory but your website link revealed there is a copy only minutes away from me. I will race you there! Just joking because its not going anywhere as the one at the University of Washington in the USA stated "for in library use only", meaning it can't be checked out on a loan. So I will have to take my digital camera with me. But I do have a portable sized flat bed scanner that powers off the USB port on my laptop.

**Diderick A. den Bakker** · #8 02-02-2015, 07:08 AM

Here is a sample page from the Puffin book. The models are extremely simple, part glue, part tab/slot. Size: 27x37,5 cms. They were probably meant to go with the tin toy railway sets of the '50ties. Wasn't that O gauge?

**ridetheory** · #9 02-02-2015, 10:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kcorbin

sorry ridetheory but your website link revealed there is a copy only minutes away from me. I will race you there! Just joking because its not going anywhere as the one at the university of washington in the usa stated "for in library use only", meaning it can't be checked out on a loan. So i will have to take my digital camera with me. But i do have a portable sized flat bed scanner that powers off the usb port on my laptop.

CURSES! Foiled again!

**kcorbin** · #10 02-03-2015, 12:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Diderick A. den Bakker

Here is a sample page from the Puffin book. The models are extremely simple, part glue, part tab/slot. Size: 27x37,5 cms. They were probably meant to go with the tin toy railway sets of the '50ties. Wasn't that O gauge?

The graphic quality of the timber details is far better than many paper villages of that era.