Saturday, February 01, 2020

Saturday Film Club: Model ships on Round Pond in Kensington Gardens. 1936



Before there was radio control, model boating required a stout pair of waders. You went for a paddle!

A model boat valued at £100 in those days would now be just over £7000 today. I can't think of many models that would command that price, especially knowing how tight-fisted some model boaters are.

The boats are large to accommodate the steam power plants and I wonder how they were transported since so few people would enjoy their own car. I can't see fellow passengers on the bus being too happy and surely a trip on the tube (this is London after all) would be out of the question?

2 comments:

neil whitehead said...

In the mid fifties, my dad had a large cabin cruiser that he had built with very early radio control fitted. He built a large wooden box on a trailer using old pram wheels that he attached to his bike. We then went off, with me perched on a seat on the crossbar, to Wansted Flats in east Londaon that had a large pond where the model boaters would congregate on a Sunday morning.

matt scrutton said...

I've seen references to people storing larger models at clubhouses