Scratch-built card and styrene structures (based on real buildings around London Bridge)

[phil_sutters]

On 08/01/2024 at 15:35, grahame said:

I think this is not going to be an easy build, particularly with the distinctive protruding curved vertical dividers, and being effectively a low relief build for part of its length.

 

 

I've been scratching my head about how to approach it and have been calculating measurements as the windows take up the entire width of each bay. Here's a rough paper frontage to get an idea of the height - on top is another set-back floor with balconies along the top of the frontage plus, what appears to be a newly tiled, high pitched roof (I wonder if that is a relatively new addition).

 

 

I've got my sister coming over tomorrow, and the day after is my birthday, so I probably won't get a lot of modelling done over the next few days. But that gives me more time to plan the build and work out the best assembly sequence.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hate to tell you this but in a 1994 aerial view there appears to be a long row of chimneys to the west of the ridge. You can see them in this view from the Southwark Mapping Services - https://geomap.southwark.gov.uk/connect/analyst/mobile/#/main?mapcfg=%2FAnalyst%2FNamedProjects%2FSouthwark historic maps  You will need to click on 'Aerial 1994' at the top right and then scroll across to Drummond Road. Southwark Park lies just beyond and provides a useful landmark. If you have problems, assuming you want to see the chimneys, I could do a screen dump for you.

Edited February 29 by phil_sutters

[grahame]

Perhaps he's built a model railway in his roof top shed.

 

 

[grahame]

A little progress on the Bermondsey Street buildings that are on the warehouse block. As always still plenty to do like the frontages, ridge tiles, coping stones, chimney pots and so on. Also you can see that I've made and added the hoist jib to the warehouse but the rainwater hopper heads and down pipes are still yet to be made and added.

 

[grahame]

And a picture of the block in place (but not fixed) on the layout (out in the shed) with ridge tiles and coping stones added:

 

 

 

 

[grahame]

A start has been made on the frontages - fortunately they are mostly quite plain and simple. And the chimney pots are now in place. But that's it for today. I'm going upstairs to have a bath and get ready for an afternoon sesh in the local, then it'll be cooking dinner and relaxing.

 

[grahame]

Just a little bit more work on the frontages today. I need to consider how I'll make the ground floor windows for both properties and the door for the cafe. Otherwise I'm happy with the progress.

 

 

 

 

 

[grahame]

Here's how the Bermondsey Street shops look in conjunction with the warehouse (on the same block).  No.72, a cafe called Chapter 72, is still to be completed - the ground floor windows, door and anything that can be seen inside. The other property seems a strange secretive affair with frosted windows and blinds. And I've still to make the hopper heads and downpipes for the warehouse, and now for the shops.

 

Edited March 5 by grahame

[grahame]

No modelling of recent as I've been away (last week) to Venice by train, stopping over in Switzerland. Some continental train snaps from the trip are posted here: https://www.rmweb.co.uk/forums/topic/185192-train-trip-to-venice/#comment-5466282

 

Back now, but not in the swing of modelling yet, so yesterday I prepared an article about my gasholder kit bashing, based on one I published in my magazine a while back. I'd adapted the kit from an above ground water tank type to a subterranean type with the kit tank made to represent the bottom holder lift with scratch made and added bottom level bracing. It looks a lot better and more appropriate IMO. And here's a gratuitous snap of it currently in place on the LB layout. However, there's still plenty to do on the gasholder station site:

 

Edited March 20 by grahame

[aardvark]

Looking forward to seeing  that article.

 

[grahame]

The next scenic vignette along the baseboard front from the Victorian warehouse will be a bomb damage/slum clearance site. It's a narrow triangular shaped site. There's plenty of photos on the web of such sites and building demolition to provide inspiration and research. I've started by cutting holes in the baseboard to allow a lower level for cellars, etc, to be modelled and provide undulation.

 

 

Next I've put together a removeable sub-board for the scene to carry out the modelling effort indoors. This includes lowered sections that drop in to the holes. It's only rough as, hopefully, there will be a lot of detail to cover it. This is only a beginning and there is much modelling effort to carry out so it may take some time.

 

[grahame]

I sketched up a very rough character drawing to give me an idea of how it could look and marked up the terraced properties outlines/boundaries on the sub-board. Then I tentatively started adding in some brick plasticard - doubled up so the embossed bricks were on both sides - in the lowered cellar areas to represent the party walls. The plan is that those on the left end are almost completely demolished while it is only a couple at the other end of the terrace that will have any resemblance of a house - just a few external walls and chimney stacks but no roof.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[grahame]

I've now got the basic gable end wall in place - it will be the only 'complete wall of the row/scene - and given everything a coat of grey primer. Next will be the remnants of the front walls and the front yard walls. The view will be from the rear of the building showing the innards so the inside walls will need to be dressed (plaster, wall paper, etc) rather than just brick, meaning more modelling effort. I'd already included a smooth plaster representation for the inside of the gable end wall except the loft area.

 

 

[grahame]

I've got a bucket grab excavator, built from a GHQ white metal kit, that I'll probably use when completing the scene:

 

[grahame]

Today I've added some filler over the card and wooden spatulas to form the undulations and disguise the sharp angles. This will form the basic more gentle landform that will need decorating with old brickwork, building materials and vegetation that has grown through it.

 

I've also given the filler a coat of 'earth' coloured paint that I purchased today. Oddly it looks very similar to the desert yellow that I sprayed the brickwork in (my go to colour for the base of London yellow stocks brickwork). I'm going to need to darken the 'earth' with some browner colour.

 

 

 

[grahame]

I've now got some rough and ready paint on the inside section to represent old internal decoration. It needs detailing and touching up. And making and adding all the rubble, bricks and timber. As well as adding chimney pots and doors off their hinges and broken window frames and stairways. Such a lot to do.

 

[grahame]

A little slow progress - some gutters and down pipes added to the warehouse, frontages now on the Bermondsey Street shops, chimney pots on the derelict under demolition houses, wall paper added, fireplace mantle made, etc. They don't make big obvious progress but they take time and gradually improve things . . . .

 

 

 

Edited March 28 by grahame

[Ian Morgan]

Houses of that era would probably have picture rails, and possibly dado rails, so wallpaper would not go all the way up to the ceiling.

 

[grahame]

That's right. That's why I didn't add the wallpaper to the ceiling line but left a section just plain painted above where the picture rail would be. Having looked a dozens of photos of part demolished houses I was surprised by how little of wall fittings/decoration, like fireplaces, picture rails, skirtings, built-in cupboards, cornices, etc., remained. It's almost like someone had gone in and stripped them out before demolition or they all came down when the ceilings and floors were knocked out.

 

[grahame]

Some floral wallpaper now on. And a few details added but so much to do and so time consuming. Here's a helicopter view;

 

[Ian Morgan]

Reminds me, I must watch "Passport to Pimlico" again. 🙂

[Jim Martin]

On 28/03/2024 at 10:59, grahame said:

It's almost like someone had gone in and stripped them out before demolition

It's quite possible that they did. Architectural salvage is big business. Google "genuine victorian fireplace": some are very grand indeed, but there's a market for more modest ones as well.