Bobby Gowland is a local craftsman from Toronto near Bishop Auckland and a time served joiner and carpenter. He has now taken his skills and with great patience has constructed beautiful 1./12 scale models of barns and Tudor buildings.
The detail is amazing and on the Tudor building there are 2,000 wooden roof tiles each individually made and shaped. The attention to detail doesn’t stop there though, as he has actually developed through a lengthy process of trial and error the perfect looking scale bricks and sandstone tiles.
One process took him six months to develop and the recipe is a closely guarded secret. His woodcraft talent extends into everyday objects and even includes perfect working replicas of a colt 45, a Winchester rifle complete with bolt action and working trigger and beautiful realistic swords made in teak.
Bobby has been busy for past 20 years constructing scale models buildings from original materials and actually produces draughtsman like drawing to work to, and has developed his skills into masonry and miniature roofing tiles, and if that wasn’t time consuming enough he also grows orchids in his spare time.
Selections of Bobby’s models are on display all this week at the Discovery Centre, entry is free of charge, and well worth a visit.