SUNDAY - 8th August 2010

(11am - 5pm)

Malcolm Debenham

“One man & his privy”

Malcolm Debenham has had a passion for sandstone since he was a child, when he loved nothing better than exploring old quarries and watching the stone being cut.

Later, he became an apprentice builder and then a steeplejack, restoring chimneys, tunnels and other industrial landmarks.

For this event Malcolm will be bringing his superb collection of miniature stone buildings to the Elm Gallery and they will be on show in a marquee outside the gallery all day.  They range in size from an enchanting outside privy (complete with newspaper) to large farmhouse and barns

Then Malcolm started his own building business, restoring many old cottages, farmhouses, barns and churches with great skill and craftsmanship and a keen eye on conservation and tradition.

As he approached retirement, Malcolm began a new project, building replicas of real buildings in miniature and using exactly the same materials as he would use on a full size building to the scale of 1:24.  The results are breathtaking!

Those of you who’ve attended the previous “Last Orders” gigs at the Elm Gallery may well recognise Malcolm as the man who’s always first up dancing.  However, those twinkling feet disguise an even greater talent, and one that we’re delighted to be able to share with you!

Malcolm will also be demonstrating his techniques and giving you chance to have a go too. He will be able to tell you all about the buildings he has made, many of which have an interesting history. Each one of his larger buildings has hundreds of hours of work in it, so they won’t be for sale unless you are very wealthy!

Come and enjoy the work of a very talented craftsman. If you decide to have a go yourself and you would like to learn more about building miniatures, Malcolm runs workshops at his home in Halifax and he also supplies kits for beginners to help you get started. He has also written a very good book on the subject, which will be on sale on the day.

Refreshments will be available throughout the day!

Malcolm’s work has been widely acclaimed, and he has been featured in the Dalesman magazine, as well as appearing with Luke Casey in the “Dales Diary” television program.