Richard Old
Encyclopedia
Richard Old was an English
woodcraftsman and prolific model maker, specialising in fretwork
. He was born in Staithes, though for most of his life he lived at 6 Ruby Street in Middlesbrough
and it was in that small terraced house that he made all of the models - over 750 of them - for which he is celebrated.
A cabinet maker by day, Old would work obsessively through the night on his hobby. Many of the models were scaled down versions of real buildings and other structures famous for their architecture. His miniatures were astonishingly faithful to the originals, right down to the smallest detail.
Old's work has been displayed at various exhibitions since the 1930s. A large number of his models formed the 'Richold collection', which of its type was generally regarded as unrivalled. The collection has since been broken up and sold off. Its star piece was a 1:100 scale model of Milan Cathedral, which was painstakingly recreated over a period of 5 years (1/100th the time the real Milan Cathedral took to build).
Until the 1980s Preston Hall in Stockton-on-Tees
housed a number of models from the Richold collection.
Late in life, Old made a living from building and restoring church organs (he was for several years the organist at St John’s Church in Middlesbrough
)
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
woodcraftsman and prolific model maker, specialising in fretwork
Fretwork
Fretwork is an interlaced decorative design that is either carved in low relief on a solid background, or cut out with a fretsaw, coping saw, jigsaw or scroll saw. Most fretwork patterns are geometric in design. The materials most commonly used are wood and metal. Fretwork is used to adorn...
. He was born in Staithes, though for most of his life he lived at 6 Ruby Street in Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough is a large town situated on the south bank of the River Tees in north east England, that sits within the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire...
and it was in that small terraced house that he made all of the models - over 750 of them - for which he is celebrated.
A cabinet maker by day, Old would work obsessively through the night on his hobby. Many of the models were scaled down versions of real buildings and other structures famous for their architecture. His miniatures were astonishingly faithful to the originals, right down to the smallest detail.
Old's work has been displayed at various exhibitions since the 1930s. A large number of his models formed the 'Richold collection', which of its type was generally regarded as unrivalled. The collection has since been broken up and sold off. Its star piece was a 1:100 scale model of Milan Cathedral, which was painstakingly recreated over a period of 5 years (1/100th the time the real Milan Cathedral took to build).
Until the 1980s Preston Hall in Stockton-on-Tees
Stockton-on-Tees
Stockton-on-Tees is a market town in north east England. It is the major settlement in the unitary authority and borough of Stockton-on-Tees. For ceremonial purposes, the borough is split between County Durham and North Yorkshire as it also incorporates a number of smaller towns including...
housed a number of models from the Richold collection.
Late in life, Old made a living from building and restoring church organs (he was for several years the organist at St John’s Church in Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough is a large town situated on the south bank of the River Tees in north east England, that sits within the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire...
)