Situated in the center of the picturesque Fitzroy Gardens in Melbourne lies this model English Tudor village, a gift of great generosity and goodwill from one country to another.

During World War II there were food shortages across England and most of Europe. Many gifts and food packages were sent from Australia. It is this contribution from Melbourne residents that this fine attraction was dedicated.

The citizens of Lambeth, a district in South London, England, decided to raise funds for this gift. In 1948, the village was sent from London and placed in one of Melbourne’s many parks. It was designed by Edgar Wilson, a 77-year-old retired pensioner, who modeled the houses after a traditional English village from the Tudor era. He built two similar villages around this time that were kept in London, one in Brockwell Park and the other in Vauxhall Park.

The village in Fitzroy Gardens consists of a mix of private residences and public buildings that allows visitors to gain insight into life in Tudor England. Visitors can see a school, hotel, barn, church, thatched cottages, and many other buildings. Interestingly, there are also scale models of houses belonging to Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway. The village was officially opened by Lord Mayor Cr Raymond Connelly in May 1948.