A History of Architectural Modelmaking in Britain: The Unseen Masters of Scale and Vision

241 Pages·2022·36.198 MB·English

by  David Lund

A History of Architectural Modelmaking
in Britain
Architectural modelmakers have long carried out their work hidden behind the scenes
of architectural design, and in presenting a history of architectural modelmaking in
Britain for the frst time, this book casts a new light on their remarkable skills and
achievements.
By telling the story of the modelmakers who make architectural models rather than
architects who commission and use them, this book seeks to celebrate their often-
overlooked contribution to the success and endurance of the architectural model in
Britain over the past one hundred and forty years. Drawing from extensive archival
research and interviews with practicing and retired modelmakers, this book traces the
complete history of architectural modelmaking in Britain from its initial emergence as
a specialist occupation at the end of the nineteenth century through to the present day.
It reveals the legacy of John Thorp, the frst professional architectural modelmaker
in Britain, who opened his business in London in 1883, and charts the lives and
careers of the innovative and creative modelmakers who followed him. It examines
the continually evolving materials, tools, and processes of architectural modelmaking
and outlines the profound ideological, economic, and technological infuences that
have shaped the profession’s development.
Illustrated with over one hundred photographs of architectural models from
previously undocumented archives, this book will be of great interest to architectural
modelmakers, academics, and historians, as well as anyone with an interest in
architectural history and modelmaking.
David Lund is Senior Lecturer on the BA (Hons) Modelmaking and BA (Hons) Design
courses at Arts University Bournemouth, UK.

A History of Architectural
Modelmaking in Britain
The Unseen Masters of Scale
and Vision
David Lund
Designed cover image: Courtesy Thorp Archive, AUB.
First published 2023
by Routledge
4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2023 David Lund
The right of David Lund to be identified as author of this work has been asserted
in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act
1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any
information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the
publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered
trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to
infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Lund, David, 1980– author.
Title: A history of architectural modelmaking in Britain: the unseen masters of
scale and vision / David Lund.
Description: New York: Routledge, 2022. | Includes bibliographical references and
index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2022029154 | ISBN 9781032286822 (hardback) | ISBN
9781032286785 (paperback) | ISBN 9781003298007 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Architectural models—Great Britain.
Classification: LCC NA2790 .L86 2022 | DDC 720.220941—dc23/eng/20220719
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022029154
ISBN: 978-1-032-28682-2 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-032-28678-5 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-003-29800-7 (ebk)
DOI: 10.4324/9781003298007
Typeset in Sabon
by Apex CoVantage, LLC
Contents
Acknowledgments vi
List of Figures vii
Introduction 1
1 A Secondary Craft 10
2 98 Gray’s Inn Road 32
3 Growth and Expansion 56
4 V-Section and the Post-War Boom 73
5 The Modern Architectural Model 98
6 A Fall From Grace 120
7 The Arup School 141
8 Digital Effciencies 168
9 Creative Ambitions 192
Bibliography 217
Index 222
Acknowledgments
The idea for writing this book developed as I uncovered the full extent of the private
archive of Thorp Modelmakers during the writing of my doctoral thesis in 2017. In
2019 I was able to secure the archive’s acquisition for public preservation, and I am
especially grateful to both Alec Saunders at Thorp and Tim O’Reilly Bennett, Head of
Library and Special Collections at Arts University Bournemouth, for making this hap-
pen. Much of the research that this book draws from was also undertaken as part of
my PhD studies, and so my sincere appreciation is offered to Susan Lambert, Christian
McLening, Willem de Bruijn, Michael Biggs, Penny Sparke, and Phil Jones for their
guidance and feedback during that time.
Thanks must be extended to everyone who contributed to my research, either
through taking part in interviews or providing documents or images: Artemis Anto-
nopoulou, Richard Armiger, Lee Atkins, Clare Baxter, John Blythe, Shajay Bhooshan,
Adam Burdett, Robert Danton-Rees, Matthew Driscoll, Alan East, Mike Fairbrass,
Tim Feron, Stephen Fooks, Bruno Gordon, Simon Hamnell, Joseph Henry, Roger
Hillier, George Rome Innes, Ken Houghton, Kamran Kiani, Helmet Kinzler, Robert
Kirkman, John Leatherdale, George Lee, David MacKay, Patrick McKeogh, Daniel
McWilliam, Neil Merryweather, Paul Miles, Tina Miller, Dan Oppenheimer, Emily
Oppenheimer, Andrew Putler, Duncan Robertson, Alec Saunders, Christian Spencer-
Davies, Will Strange, Neil Vandersteen, and Paul Wood. At the Medmenham Associa-
tion, thanks are due to Jean Churchwood, Tim Fryer, Michael Mockford, Andrew
Scott, and Paul Stewart. Thanks also go to Gemma Blake at Lucite International and
Katy Whitaker at Historic England.
At Arts University Bournemouth, I would also like to thank the following: Phil
Anderson, Gideon Bohanan, Claire Holman, Jonathan Hoyle, Paul Johnson, Valerie
Lodge, Will Strange, and Graham Wood. The purchase of image licences from Alamy,
the Imperial War Museum Archives, Leodis, the National Trust, Northamptonshire
County Archives, the RIBA, the John Soane Museum, and the V&A was kindly sup-
ported by the AUB Small Grants Scheme. At Routledge, thanks must be extended to
Fran Ford and the editorial and production teams, and fnally, enormous thanks are
due to my family and friends, and especially to Edward, for reasons too numerous to
put down in print.
Figures
0.1 John Thorp overseeing the making of the 1930 Charing Cross
model. Image courtesy Thorp Archive, AUB. 2
0.2 Model of the Charing Cross bridge proposal, made by John Thorp,
1930. Image courtesy Thorp Archive, AUB. 3
0.3 Model of the Charing Cross bridge proposal, made by John Thorp,
1930. Image courtesy Thorp Archive, AUB. 3
0.4 Model of the Charing Cross bridge proposal, made by John Thorp,
1930. Image courtesy Thorp Archive, AUB. 4
0.5 John Thorp, circa 1925. Image courtesy Thorp Archive, AUB. 6
1.1 Model of Easton Neston, modelmaker unknown, 1690. Image
courtesy RIBA Collections. 11
1.2 Model of Sudbury Hall, modelmaker unknown, circa 1660.
Image copyright SBS Eclectic Images/Alamy. 13
1.3 The Great Model of St. Paul’s Cathedral, made by William and
Richard Cleere, 1675. Image copyright James Davidson/Alamy. 14
1.4 Model of the Royal Naval Hospital Greenwich, made by John
Smallwell, 1699. Image copyright National Maritime Museum,
Greenwich, London, Greenwich Hospital Collection. 15
1.5 Cork souvenir model, made by Richard Du Bourg, 1765. Image
courtesy RIBA Collections. 17
1.6 Model of the Temple of Vesta, made by Jean-Pierre and Francois
Fouquet, 1800. Image courtesy RIBA Collections. 18
1.7 Model of the Westminster Law Courts, made by Thomas and
George Martyr, 1827. Image copyright Sir John Soane’s Museum,
London. 19
1.8 Drawing of a cardboard modelling press, 1859. Thomas Richardson,
The Art of Architectural Modelling in Paper (London: John Weale,
1859), 27. 26
1.9 Card model of Scotney Castle, made by Thomas Dighton, 1844.
Image copyright National Trust/Charles Thomas. 26
1.10 Card model of Tyntsfeld House Chapel, made by C. N. Thwaite,
1872.Author’s Image. 28
1.11 Mixed media model made by the offce of Lieutenant-General
Sir Andrew Clarke, 1869. Image copyright Victoria and Albert
Museum, London. 28
viii Figures
2.1 John Thorp in his workshop, circa 1915. Image courtesy Thorp
Archive, AUB. 34
2.2 Sectional legal model, made by John Thorp, circa 1900. Image
courtesy Thorp Archive, AUB. 35
2.3 Model of Covent Garden Market, made by John Thorp, 1899.
Image courtesy Thorp Archive, AUB. 36
2.4 Model of Angmering-on-Sea, made by John Thorp, circa 1910.
Image courtesy Thorp Archive, AUB. 37
2.5 John Thorp painting a timber and card architectural model, circa
1920. Image courtesy Thorp Archive, AUB. 38
2.6 Model of Wandsworth Brewery, made by John Thorp, 1907.
Image courtesy Thorp Archive, AUB. 38
2.7 Sample model made by John Thorp, circa 1915. Image courtesy
Thorp Archive, AUB. 39
2.8 Timber and card model made by John Thorp, 1917. Image courtesy
Thorp Archive, AUB. 40
2.9 John Thorp’s promotional stand, circa 1915. Image courtesy Thorp
Archive, AUB. 41
2.10 Model of Old London Bridge, made by John Thorp, 1908. Image
courtesy Thorp Archive, AUB. 43
2.11 Model of Cambridge University Library, made by Thorp, 1931.
Image courtesy Thorp Archive, AUB. 45
2.12 Model of the National Cash Register Company Building, made
by Thorp, 1935. Image courtesy Thorp Archive, AUB. 46
2.13 Model of Quarry Hill, Leeds, made by Partridge’s Models, 1935.
By kind permission of Leeds Libraries, www.leodis.net. 47
2.14 Model of Leeds Central Library, made by Partridge’s Models,
1936. By kind permission of Leeds Libraries, www.leodis.net. 47
2.15 Ernest Twining at work, 1913. Image courtesy Northamptonshire
County Archives. 49
2.16 Model of Port Sunlight, made by Ernest Twining, 1913. Image
courtesy Northamptonshire County Archives. 50
2.17 Model of Bourneville Works, made by Twining Models, 1920.
Image courtesy Northamptonshire County Archives. 51
2.18 Thorp modelmaking workshop, 1924. Image courtesy Thorp
Archive, AUB. 52
2.19 Architectural model made by Thorp, circa 1930. Image courtesy
Thorp Archive, AUB. 53
3.1 Model of Bush House, made by Thorp, 1929. Image courtesy
Thorp Archive, AUB. 57
3.2 Thorp modelmakers at work, circa 1938. Image courtesy Thorp
Archive, AUB. 58
3.3 Model of Cardiff docks, made by Twining Models, 1921. Image
courtesy Northamptonshire County Archives. 61
3.4 Model of Hull docks, made by Thorp, 1924. Image courtesy
Thorp Archive, AUB. 61
Figures ix
3.5 Leslie Thorp with the Liverpool Cathedral model, 1934. Image
courtesy Thorp Archive, AUB. 62
3.6 Model of Bournemouth, made by Twining Models, 1934.
Image courtesy Northamptonshire County Archives. 63
3.7 Model of a concrete city of the future, made by Twining Models,
1936. Image courtesy RIBA Collections. 64
3.8 Modelmakers delivering a heavy model, 1934. Image courtesy
Thorp Archive, AUB. 65
3.9 Roofess Perspex model, made by Kenneth McCutchon, 1938.
Architects’ Journal, January 13, 1938, 87. 68
3.10 John and Leslie Thorp in the workshop, circa 1930. Image
courtesy Thorp Archive, AUB. 70
4.1 Model of the coast of France, made by V-Section modelmakers,
circa 1943. Image courtesy The Medmenham Collection. 75
4.2 Model of Kiel, Germany, made by V-Section modelmakers, 1942.
Image copyright Imperial War Museum. 75
4.3 V-Section modelmakers at work, circa 1944. Image courtesy The
Medmenham Collection. 76
4.4 V-Section modelmaker at work, circa 1944. Image courtesy The
Medmenham Collection. 77
4.5 V-Section modelmakers at RAF Medmenham, circa 1943. Image
courtesy The Medmenham Collection. 78
4.6 V-Section workshops, RAF Medmenham, 1945. Image courtesy The
Medmenham Collection. 78
4.7 Model of Sorpe Dam, made by V-Section modelmakers, 1943.
Copyright Imperial War Museum. 80
4.8 Model of a proposed new town at Ongar, modelmaker unknown,
1944. Copyright Imperial War Museum. 83
4.9 Leslie Thorp making the St Paul’s model, 1949. Image courtesy
Thorp Archive, AUB. 85
4.10 Model of a hypothetical new town, made by Thorp, 1943. Image
courtesy Thorp Archive, AUB. 88
4.11 Ministry of Information poster, 1943. Copyright Imperial
War Museum. 89
4.12 Model of Coventry city centre, made by Twining Models,
1943. Image courtesy Northamptonshire County Archives. 90
4.13 Planning model of Harlow, made by Cockade, 1950. Copyright
holder unknown, but see Frederick Gibberd, Town Design
(London: The Architectural Press, 1962), 161. 91
4.14 Model of Harlow Civic Centre, made by McCutchon Studio,
circa 1955. Image courtesy Essex Record Offce. 92
4.15 Model of Harlow town centre, made by McCutchon Studio,
circa 1955. Photograph by Henk Snoek. Image courtesy Essex
Record Offce. 92
4.16 Model of the Roehampton Estate, made by the LCC Models
Section, 1959. Image courtesy RIBA Collections. 93