Roger Dean with his 1:24 replica of Cambridge’s iconic St Andrew’s church.
Cambridge retiree Roger Dean has almost finished his replica of St Andrew’s church, six years after he started it. There were other projects in between, and Roger estimates that his 1:24 model of the church would have taken him approximately a year of solid work.
The view into the miniature church, complete with working lights.
Every detail has been carefully reproduced, including the art around the walls and the church’s stained-glass windows. Roger’s son-in-law photographed the windows and the pictures, which were then shrunk down to fit the model. Miniature pews, working lights and even a replica of the carpet in the historic church have been included, along with 1376 pipes on the tiny organ. “There are 2000 in the church itself,” he said.
He even has a CD of bellringing recorded at the church to accompany his model. “The hardest part was making the corrugated roofing,” Roger said. Putting thin metal through a paper crimper, he tried copper and cut flattened lemonade cans before settling on very thin sheets of brass from Auckland.
The replica is made of kauri, which Roger said is the same as the original, and it has a pine frame. Roger showcased the church at a recent meeting of the Cambridge Woodturners’ Club, before a crowd of around 30 people. A small patch of paint on the outside is all that is left to finish, and then the tiny building will be complete. Roger is planning to donate the church to Cambridge, and he hopes it will find a home somewhere that everyone can enjoy it.
