Lincoln Castle Revealed – Bronze Models

A commission from the Lincoln Castle Revealed team to produce two scale models of Lincoln Castle to be positioned at key points in the Castle grounds for visitor orientation.

The origination involved a melding of traditional modelling and 3D printing techniques. The models are cast in bronze and mounted on GRC (Glassfibre Reinforced Concrete) plinths together with bronze keys and time-line panels. They are positioned  close to the East and West Gates of the Castle to be visible and easily accessible to arriving visitors. 

Images by kind permission of Lincoln County Council

The Kew Palace model is constructed in beech, beech veneer and acrylic, to a scale of 1:25. The project was commissioned in 2005 by Historic Royal Palaces to interpret the architecture of the building over the three accessible floors. The model informs both visually impaired and sighted visitors about the scale, style and architectural detail of the Palace as well as aiding way-finding to exterior access points.

Constructed in three sections the model can be easily transported to outreach projects. Accompanying the model is a tactile way-finding map located at the entrance to each floor. Made of beech with acrylic Braille and large-print labels the raised detail maps provide orientation and information about rooms.

Kew Palace opened to the public in April 2006 and was a shortlisted finalist for the Gulbenkian Prize in 2007.

The carving is a highly detailed interpretation of the south face of the White Tower at the Tower of London. Each stone of the wall is represented in shape and position.

Commissioned by Royal Armouries, the panel was carved from oak and has been displayed in the basement of the White Tower as part of an installation devoted to objects for touch.

This composite piece is a tactile model of Staircase House in Stockport. It recreates 500 years of historical development of this local heritage landmark, from its origins as a medieval house to the present day.

The building detail is created using raised detail marquetry, the art of inlaying wood veneer into a frame to create tonal images. The traditional inlay technique has been reversed for this project by raising the profile of the veneer to give the piece a beautiful, textured surface detail.

The model sections showing the additions and changes to the house are positioned chronologically clockwise from the left on the oak base plinth. The house is assembled In the centre of the oak base by removing numbered sections of oak meadow and replacing them with the relevant building piece. A ‘how to use’ booklet in large print and Braille accompanies the installation to assist the assembly and to give some detail of the periods of change.

Commissioned by Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin in 2021 and installed in June 2022; the 1:200 scale tactile bronze model, with braille text and key, shows the cathedral priory around 1370, with the monastic buildings that housed and fed the staff of Augustinian canons, along with its newly extended quire.

Topografik was commissioned by the Zoological Society of London in January 2022 to make a tactile scale replica of the Snowdon Aviary to celebrate the extraordinary design of an iconic building. The aviary was approaching completion of a major refurbishment converting its function as an aviary into a new home for Colobus monkeys incorporating a visitor walk-through experience. Monkey Valley was opened to visitors in July 2022.

The tactile scale model is made in bronze-filled cast resin.