Great Yarmouth Landmarks Recreated in Colourful Miniature

The exceptional Time & Tide Museum in Great Yarmouth is set an old Victorian Herring curing works and recreates the history of Great Yarmouth for visitors to experience. 

The latest attraction of the museum to captivate and enthrall is a quirky, automated miniature model of mechanical wizardry and saucy seaside tongue-in-cheek fun created by Suffolk toymaker Ron Fuller.

The exhibit was commissioned by the museum in response to visitor feedback requesting more interactive items, and it more than fits the bill with its bawdy, buxom Britannia swivelling her hips and spinning, a Greek Orthadox priest swinging his incense, and a couple of fishing wives riding the Joyland Snails (a great favourite of tourists and locals of Great Yarmouth, as well as some Hobbies staff ). 

Two clowns tumble a ball, a Spitfire circles a colourful revolving tower; Nelson walks the plank, an excitable dog barks, and a cheeky seagull swoops to steal a tasty treat - all fun scenes depicting Great Yarmouth's history and humourous holiday heyday. The mechanical exhibit will be the centrepiece of a  newly modelled Seaside Gallery which includes a 1950s themed seaside display showing fashions of the day, and even a replica bathing hut. Admission to the exhibit is 20p

Mr Fuller, 77, said he had great fun making the exhibit which has "as many working pieces as a Boeing 747". It took him 11 weeks and over 500 hours to complete the exhibit which meticulously recreates details of tattoo studios and seafront toilets featuring alongside a Circus Spectacular, and even a figure, representing the growing Portugese community, waving to the crowd. The exhibit also features two of Great Yarmouth's unique attractions which are no longer there, namely the Revolving Tower and the Hotchkiss Railway. The tower was removed for the war effort with the metal used to build Spitfires. The Hotchkiss Railway was a bizarre commuter track for cyclists and was sold to Blackpool.

Mr Fuller studied art & theatre design at the Royal College of Art. He had a career in teaching before going on to make wooden toys for a living in 1972. His work is highly prized and sold in specialist shops world-wide.