For ages I’ve been planning to add a set of Waterloo buildings to the Small Scale Scenery range. To be honest I have also spent some of the time putting them off, since my first initial look into them showed that quite a bit of research would be needed along with a measure of educated guessing – especially with Château Hougoumont, the largest and most iconic of the buildings on the battlefield.
However, I’ve girded my loins and with much help from my friend Mark Harris, erstwhile Treasurer of Maidstone Wargames Society and a Napoleonic buff, we’ve ended up with what we think is a good representation of the buildings of 1815.
The set includes four different items, all resin castings; the largest being the aforementioned Château Hougoumont. Not many of the original buildings are still standing, so our version is a result of interpreting contemporary illustrations, plans and satellite views.
A much easier model was the walled farm of La Haye Sainte – that is is still intact and in much the same condition as two centuries ago. It should also induce a wave of nostalgia in anyone who owned the Airfix kit way back when…
Another building that’s still almost as it was back in 1815 is the inn of La Belle Alliance, where Blücher and Wellington met on the evening of the battle at the end of the fighting.
The final member of this set is the church of Plancenoit, where the Prussian attack hit the French flank. Again the original building is long gone, so this representation is a best guess at what it looked like in 1815.
SSS-8136 – Waterloo Building Set – £8.00
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