Bourton-on-the-water model village gets Grade II listed status. English Heritage gives recognition to replica of village known as the Little Venice of the Cotswolds, the historic village of Bourton-on-the-Water straddling the river Windrush has long boasted an impressive tally of preserved buildings, with 117 designated as Grade II listed or above.

So it seems in keeping that its model village – an exact replica of itself built to 1:9 scale and opened on Coronation Day in 1937 – should be similarly recognised for its architectural and historical significance.

English Heritage says it is the first time a model village has been given Grade II listed status, but it qualifies in its uniqueness in representing the Cotswold vernacular style, and providing an authentic snapshot of a traditional Cotswold environment.

Set within the gardens of The Old New Inn, itself a Grade II listed building, the model village is believed to be the second built in the country when it was commissioned in the 1930s by the inn-owning Morris family who hired eight local builders and craftsmen to construct it over five years using local limestone and miniature Cotswold stone slates.

Source: The Guardian

Photograph © John Angerson