Sleepy Hill and Games
Sleepy Hill, a Mechanical Diorama
In Autumn 2015 my partner Carla Francesca Ellis and I visited the "Marvellous Machines" exhibition at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, the first major UK exhibition of Rowland Emett's incredible mechanical "Things" and exquisite drawings. Emett is perhaps most famous for his charming cartoons in Punch magazine and for making the Breakfast Machine and Caractus Potts's other inventions in the film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
As we left this delightful, whimsical and inspiring show we decided to make a Mechanical Diorama loosely inspired by Emett's work. We both remembered an old clockwork tin toy which had a base with a circular slot, around which a tiny tin train ran, passing through two small tunnels as it did. We decided to make a much more elaborate version of these tin toys. By the time we had got back to London the concept was already almost finalised, including the mechanisms and the convoluted structure which holds up the four levels yet allows the working "transport" models to circle continuously. It features a hill which includes the four principal modes of transport: water, road, rail and air. One side of Sleepy Hill is open, apparently for Fracking to take place, and this allows people to look inside and see the mechanism at work.
Sleepy Hill is an unusual place on the South Coast, where everything is lopsided, eccentric, ridiculous, surreal or even downright dangerous. All manner of odd things are to be seen, from a skeleton driving a train to an angler who fishes up dinosaur bones while his wife knits his beard, from an extremely dangerous slide on the edge of a cliff to a Prime Minister's Hot Air Powered Rail Tour Wagon.
Sleepy Hill, sitting in its beautiful wood and glass cabinet made by Ben Illsley, is a visual feast, but leaps into life at the turn of its polished brass crank handle; while one person turns many others can gather around and look at all the different things moving and popping up unexpectedly.
Here is a Photobucket album showing Sleepy Hill's construction from start to finish.
Sleepy Hill would make a fantastic and popular Donations Box for a Museum, Hospital, or any Visitor Attraction, or enhance any private Collection, and it is for sale, serious enquirers please contact me.
London Taxi and Bus Game
This is my fancy version of a game I remember from my youth. The lever moves a concealed pantograph and magnet which enables a model Taxi or Bus to be driven around some famous London landmarks. Many routes can be followed, and you can even make your own Route Cards to see who can drive around each route the fastest, or within a set time limit. Driving the models is extremely challenging because the lever moves the opposite way to the Taxi or Bus, so it takes a lot of practice, co-ordination and determination to become a good driver.
Gallinae Priemis (Spring Chickens)
This was loosely inspired by an aparatus made by Galileo to study Acceleration, with marbles running down wire tracks. I wanted to make it into a mechanical toy, so I devised the chain, pulley and crank handle to make it continuous and more fun, then added my version of an ancient children's toy consisting of wooden chicks on a board, with strings from them to a wooden ball.
When moved around horizontally the ball and strings made the chicks peck away. I made the first one just for the challenge, but unexpedtedly found that when you use it, the gentle movement and whirring and clicking sounds are very pleasing and relaxing, a bit like gazing into a log fire. I made the one in the video in 1987 but am making a 2nd one of higher build quality which will be for sale. Please contact me if interested: