One of Skegness oldest attractions, the Skegness Model Village can be found on South Parade near Skegness Clock Tower.
Skegness Model Village is good for a slow walk around and it’s pretty.
It’s a quaint Model Village with comical shop signs on the tiny buildings and a model train set interwoven through the small houses, although this attraction is called The Skegness Model Village, it’s not actually a model of Skegness as you might assume. It’s a model village of a countryside scene, a small village or town. So don’t be disappointed not to find Skegness buildings in miniature within the Model Village.
Skegness Model Villages does seem to hold a magical quality particularly for small children, it’s nice to go and see once. I will say without hesitation this is a great Skegness attraction for little kids, so definitely take the little ones to see the model museum. Grandad and grandma will enjoy it’s slow pace, so the Skegness Model Village is good for older people, but for me this Model Village has lost it’s charm :-(
Don’t get me wrong it’s nice and it was sweet to rediscover the ghost hiding in the tower from my childhood, it was just that I couldn’t enjoy it alongside my son finding something new together, I’d seen it all before so it was disappointing in that respect. I found my self waning the second time round the Model Village as my son dragged me eagerly to see it all again.
I remember going when I was a small child in the 80’s. I have to say it has seen better days and the cost to get in is quite expensive for a family considering what you get, at a whopping £2.95 adults and £1.95 children :-(
After going £1 for adults and 50p for children would be more like it for the Skegness Model Village.
It’s a very small Skegness Attraction that has not improved or moved on in any way, it is exactly the same as it was when I saw it as a child which to some degree may be it’s charm for some. I would say this Skegness Attraction is best suited for old people who would like going for nostalgic reasons and small children (under 10 years) who can feel like giants walking around the tiny buildings, for once they are not the smallest thing around at this Skegness Attraction :-), but it lost my interest quite quickly.
Skegness Model Village is a nice museum for people who have never been, but for people who have been before there was nothing new to see and so the novelty wore of fast for me because I'd seen it all before meaning this Skegness Attraction has no revisit power :-(
I thought it was a real shame that it didn't have anything new, and I sense that in this day and age the Skegness Model Village is finding it hard to compete with the bigger Skegness attractions, it's like the Skegness Attraction time forgot which is very sad since it is nice to see this sort of attraction.
It’s just the way of the world now, people and especially the kids of this generation want something a bit more interactive, and the price of the Model Village is no joke for an attraction that has little to offer. The Model Village is a bit like a museum, you can look, but you can’t touch. You wander around for half an hour pointing at a few things then leave.
Before writing this review I did some research and looked up other model villages in the country. I have to say Model Villages seem to be a dieing breed, they all seem to follow the same format in style, but other model villages seemed to offer more than Skegness in that they have expanded to include other activities and facilities so have kept up to date in the type of attraction people want to visit and just as importantly REVISIT.
I am finding it a little difficult to write this review a small part of my heart really likes the Skegness Model Village, I think it holds a special place in the memory of anyone that has been there as a child, but I have to be honest and say it’s a bit disappointing on a revisit.
One of the biggest let downs about the Model Village has to be there’s no where to sit or buy a cup of tea for adults to enjoy while the kids go around the village again, there’s no gift shop to buy trinkets to remember your day, it’s like they’re trying to get you out as quickly as possible?
Maybe this was the case in it’s hay day, but since very few people go there anymore a bench or two wouldn’t hurt, so you can take your time and stay a little longer.
My son who was 9 when we went to Skegness Model Village in 2007 enjoyed it, he didn’t want to leave when we were there, he went around three times. My eldest 14 wasn’t that impressed and was relieved when we left, he said it was nice, but once round was enough.
My youngest son has not asked to go back again even though I have offered. I think it’s one of those Skegness attractions that once you’ve seen it you don’t need to go again, one look and your satisfied (which is a real shame).
Skegness Attractions Verdict: Good for little ones and old people especially model enthusiasts. OK for a one off visit if you’ve run out of other things to do in Skegness. Not cheap for what you get so hold your breath when you see the price.
Skegness Attractions Rating 7/10 if it’s your first time. 5/10 if you’ve been before
Marie
I’m very surprised by this review; I couldn’t disagree more. This village is utterly charming and never ceases to delight me and my children and their children. We always go to see it on our annual visit and come away feeling warm and cosy and charmed.
Why would you want it to change? Do you want it to incorporate a tower block and a car park?
Although costs are an important consideration for us as for many, we don’t feel that the charges are excessive given how much it must cost to maintain this wonderful little village particularly since so many of the hard carved, unique characters are stolen and have to be regularly replaced.
A few seats would be a good idea but please, no more fast food outlets – I can wait for an hour or two before getting a cup of tea somewhere else. The peace and quiet is delightful; frenetic activity can be found everywhere else.
Similarly, if you want memories take photos! I don’t want to buy tacky trinkets; again I can get those easily elsewhere (one of my favourites is a little glass viking ship and another is a sand-bottle man that I made in the colours of the Italian flag and called Luigi after a character in a book).
Recommendation: 10 out of 10 for this lovely little village.
I make no apologies for the way I felt when writing the review, the point to a review is to tell people how you found the product, attraction etc…
I try in my reviews to be as fair as I can giving people the good, bad and ugly of an attraction. No attraction is perfect and most of Skegness is out of touch with keeping up with the times which means most attractions in Skegness has room for improvement.
It is not unreasonable to comment on what I feel would have made my visit more pleasurable.
I don’t want the feel to Skegness Model Village to Change since it is a tradition nostalgic attraction, but as I said in my review although it was nice I remembered every model from when I was small in the 80 and I felt there was nothing new for me to enjoy when I visited when I was older.
It took something away in my experience with my children, not being able to discover something new along side them.
Many model villages around the country have grown in the years and improved, Skegness Model Village as stayed the same since it was created, maybe it’s that the people running the Skegness Model Village don’t have the skills needed to expand the attraction.
I never said anything about fast food outlets in my review, all I said was a place to sit and have a cup of tea would be nice in making the Skegness Model Village more enjoyable.
I do believe I said that my youngest son went around the Model Village several times with my eldest, but I had very little intrest in going around the model village again since I’d seen it all before, a sit down and a cup of tea or a cold drink on a hot day while I waited would have been nice.
No I don’t want tower blocks and car parks in the Model Village (‘TUT TUT’), but it is out dated I think I wrote it might be nice to have Skegness in Miniature for instance.
If Skegness Model Village sold trinkets it might be cheaper to get in!
As for the cost needs to be high through theft is a bit of a stretch unless someones going to make off with a 2ft box out the front door the only thing to replace is the figurines which are just standard plastic people which you can purchase at any hobby store.
Like I said nice place to visit once, good for little kids and enthusiast’s to visit, but once you’ve been it looses it’s appeal!
I do believe this is telling people to try it out definitely once.
I was just looking through the internet for details on the skegness model village and I came across this amusing write up complete with a defensive comment…. great stuff!! Now I will add to the debate, coz I can! I have to agree with G Vickery in the observation that the charm and the pace of the village lies within it’s nod to a bygone era when people could just take in and muse along without the need for constant stimulation noise and caffeine drinks on tap, what a lovely peaceful world that is, and for a couple of quid each and a half hour of peace alongside a slice of English seaside history it’s gotta be worth that for christs sake. The fair rides and arcades can more than compensate for the lack of stimulation and I’m sure that anyone who visits this model village will be able to locate a suitable outlet for refreashments should the need arise. The lack of visitors is probably due to a distinct lack of marketing and I’m sure there are plenty of people who would be able toenjoy there first trip round if they were aware it existed.
Your little boy obviously enjoyed his day and thats nice to hear.
I used to go every years as a child to Skegness model village and i couldn’t wait to show my children, What a surprise instead of flowers there was weeds, were there used to be plants there was just bare mud patches, the exhibits all needed painting and repairing with holes in some building,This is a place i would not go back to again nor would i recommend it the cost £8 i could have spent better
Dont change skegness it’s a national treasure for a seaside resort so many nice memories
I am taking my kids to skegness this saturday and im gonna visit the model village with them if it’s open :-0 Iloved it has a kid hope it ends up a memory to my kids like it did to me :-)
I have rarely read a review that was so meaningless and devoid of intelligent content than this review.A Model Village is a nostalgic reflection on an an idealised way of Life…that is the whole essence of its charm and interest.
No doubt that some reviewers would like to see a Village with Social problems,perhaps with an interactive no Go area where one can experience virtual Muggings,floods of people on Benefits demanding a same day appointment at the Model Doctors’ Surgery…or perhaps We could have a depiction of some Social Housing…obviously free to view,for those that are unwilling to seek gainful employment.
The entry price is very cheap,in My opinion and would provide a ,sadly infrequently encountered,opportunity for some non electronic entertainment ,for Our Children….so please..no changes and I love it….
We stumbled across the model village when strolling around Skegness. It is a bit beyond the Aquarium. At £3 an adult, we decided to chance a look round.
But what a sad attraction it is.
You can see that back in the 60s it would have been a labour of love. It was carefully laid out, but now it is run down and shabby. The train can’t have moved for years, the water is still and stagnant, the buildings in desperate need of a lick of paint. Many smaller parts were broken or laying on their side.
The bedding plants were very sparse and some shrubs are dead – and yet most of the grass had been trimmed and the edging borders were clearly recently weeded. Just not planted.
Borders of lobelias, salvia and alysum would brighten the place up. A moving train as advertised would bring the place to life. And the stagnant water needs sorting.
Having said that, the church building had been repainted and had bell music.
If only a task force could be sent in to refresh it, I’m sure it could be brought back to life.
I left feeling sad for the people who built it.