Meet our Members - Martin and Hilary Pearce

Willow Models was established in 1984 by Martin Pearce and is based in Golcar, a village in the Pennine Hills of Yorkshire, approximately half way between Leeds and Manchester. His experience and background in model making goes back to the very early 1960s when an "apprenticeship" was started with Airfix kits, Triang trains and then scratch built models.

Originally the business concentrated on architectural and museum model making but over the years the type of work undertaken has expanded and we have made a wide variety of models for many different clients and uses. These have included architectural models for both development and exhibition, historical models for museums, scientific models for educational and training purposes and prototypes for product design. More unusual items have included a ventriloquist's dummy in the form of an apple and grub.

Although we still work in many fields of model making, we have become more and more involved in the world of miniatures and have even made dolls houses and room boxes for use as teaching aids in schools. Martin is assisted by his wife Hilary who, as well as helping at fairs and detailing many of our accessories, makes our pewter plates and trees for architectural work. With our background in model making, we can usually make anything a customer wants however strange, obscure or difficult and in very small scales. Much of our work on the miniatures side is commission based.

In the miniatures field we make a very wide range of items. These include furniture (using mainly English hardwoods), shop & room boxes (the latter often finished and detailed), woodturnings, pewter items and an ever-growing range of accessories. Although we do make houses, apart from the occasional cottage in 24th and 48th scale, these tend to be made to order. Our range of accessories includes walking sticks & shepherds crooks, kitchen items such as wooden potato mashers & cabbage presses, and nativities. Some of these such as the nativities include our own castings.

Although we started out in 12th scale, we now specialise in 24th and 48th scales. Most of our woodturnings are available in 24th and 48th and we are slowly (as time permits) making our range of furniture available in quarter scale. New items are usually directed at the smaller scales and this is reflected in the range of 24th scale lighting that we now retail.

Martin has written for the dollshouse press including a piece (for an internet based magazine) on making a cottage in 24th scale. We exhibit at Miniatura and the Kensington Dollshouse Festival plus one or two other fairs. Full details of these are listed on our web site where many of our pieces can be seen.

Contact details

Martin and Hilary Pearce
4 Willow Grove
Golcar
Yorkshire
HD7 4RX

Tel/Fax 01484 658832

Email info@willowmodels.com
Web site www.willowmodels.com