#THROWBACKTHURSDAY: CUSHING'S MODEL THEATRES AND HISTORICAL SCENES

#THROWBACKTHURSDAY: WE ARE turning back the clock to the 1950's and 60's, when it seemed that Peter Cushing was not only appearing on either one or both TV stations in the UK, every other night, but also a time, when not working, he was very busy at home. Cushing had been a prolific model maker, in the sense that, he not only made the figures, historical and theatrical, he also made the theater's, the sets, the buildings, all in miniature. The materials were wood, paint, plaster, clay and paper-mach. Sadly, when his wife Helen, died in 1971, Cushing decided that the time of creative pastimes and hobbies, had little interest to him. Much of his huge collection of model theaters, soldiers, paintings and a vast array of collectable books, stamps, postcards and collectables, were the past. There they sat, in his loft studio at what had been his home and Helen's since the late 1950's. 

After Cushing's passing in 1994, a levy of Death Tax was to be paid and much of what made his private collection and creations from his hobbies, were put up for auction. Thousands of lots, containing furniture, clothes and the entire Cushing collection, were put under the hammer...Everything must go. And it did.

Above the MODEL THEATRES depicting scenes from productions and history are as follows. 

A: An Egyptian Palace scene set suitable for Cleopatra or The Mummy. The scene is fully lit, signed by Peter Cushing 1969.  A magnificent vignette of Antony & Cleopatra reclining on a tiger skin draped couch with their entourage.

B: The Wheel and Poop Deck of a 18th /19th Century British [man of war] ship, fully lit. Figures in British naval dress of the 18th /19th Century individually modeled and painted by Peter Cushing.

C:  Set for Journey`s End by R.C. Sherriff, a British dugout, March 1918 before St Quentin, the trench section is fully lit, signed by Peter Cushing in 1967.Cast of actors in WWI British uniform individually modeled and painted 54mm foot figures comprising: 7 officers and men. This scene would have been of special interest to Peter. Journey's End was the production he had wanted to appear in, since he had been a young actor... but never did. 

The rows of INDIVIDUAL FIGURES, created and painted by Peter Cushing are TOP:  Medieval period royalty - foot figures of: Mathilda of Flanders, King John, William 1, Henry II & Richard 1. MIDDLE: A collection of historical figures comprising: Ancient to Medieval period foot figures of 2 x Vikings, Hengist, Canute, & Alfred the Great. BOTTOM: Signing the Magna Carta - foot figures of: King John, Clergy, Knights & Barons. 

MODEL MAKING: PETER CUSHING AND HIS TOWN AND TRAIN SET ON A TABLE TOP

Cushing And His Hobbies. In the past few weeks we've posted features on Cushing's many hobbies and the many happy hours he spent in his home studio making thousands of model soldiers to participate in table top 'Little Wars' gaming, the building of beautiful working theatres, complete with acting figures, sets and lighting, his talent for painting in water colours and oils, that went on to be exhibited, the board games he invented and made for visiting friends to play..so it shouldn't surprise you to find out he also owned, a train set.

But, not a person to do anything by halves, this train set was permanently mounted in his studio room upstairs at both the Cushing's homes in Hillsleigh Road, London and Whitstable...a model train set built around a hand built town, with people, shops, streets, a factory, a train station and goods yard....Cushing's first job on leaving school, for as short a time as he could stand it, was working at the grand sounding... Planning and Drawing Office of the Surveyor's Department at Coulsdon and Purley Urban District Council in his home town. No doubt, the 'town planning' experience came in handy!