Abstract
Mayson’s Ordnance model of the Lake District, commissioned by Henry and Thomas Mayson from the sculptor Raffaelle Monti in 1875, was based upon early maps from Ordnance Survey, the government mapping agency for Great Britain. It was displayed in the town of Keswick, now in Cumbria, England, until around 1980, when it is believed to have been destroyed. A large number of original negative moulds from the model were recovered, together with other historical objects, allowing the unique characteristics of the model to be explored for the first time. The study reveals the model to have been innovative for its time, being a very early example of a relief model constructed from contours. The scientific authority of the model, along with its cartographic detail and size, was used to promote it as a spectacle for early tourists. The article describes a process of digital capture, processing, and 3D fabrication that allowed parts of the model to be analysed and redisplayed. An exhibition explored public engagement with physical landscape models, included a novel visitor-led identification of the remaining moulds. Examples of modern landscape modelling and visualization techniques helped to explore the role physical models could play in the modern visitor experience.
Highlights
In 2013 a large number of negative moulds relating to a landscape model were recovered from storage in Workington, Cumbria
In reviewing the role of solid models across the sciences de Chadarevian and Hopwood (2004) suggest that “By studying their making, distribution and display, we learn more about models, about representation and dimensionality, and about producing knowledge” (p14). In such a way the exploration of the Mayson model has offered an opportunity to reflect upon its construction and physical characteristics but on the ways in which it functioned as a visitor experience
The discovery of the negative moulds led to a unique investigation combining historical research, digital reconstruction, and public exhibition, allowing the significance of the Mayson model to be fully explored
Summary
In 2013 a large number of negative moulds relating to a landscape model were recovered from storage in Workington, Cumbria. Coinciding with the first recorded ascent of Mont Blanc in France, the highest peak in Europe, in 1786 Charles François Exchaquet set about creating a model of the surrounding peaks based upon his own observations and measurements (Touret, 1989) Around this time the Swiss Alps were the focus of several modelling ventures that covered much larger areas. The new wave of middle class visitors from industrial cities like Manchester increased the demand for maps and guidebooks to orientate them with this unfamiliar landscape (Smith, 1985) Such guides continued to reference Flintoft’s model when summarising Keswick’s attractions including the popular national railway guide by Bradshaw (1863). Direct observation of historical relief models by other researchers has resulted in a number of approaches, some related to exploring the accuracy of the models, whilst others are concerned with their preservation and display
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