NAM.1975-05-56-1

Model of the field of Waterloo. Made by Captain William Siborne (1797-1849). Shows the battle with troops positioned as at 19.45 hrs, 18 June 1815. Associated with Napoleonic Wars, Waterloo (1815). In 1830 Captain William Siborne obtained official approval for his suggestion that a model be constructed of the Battle of Waterloo. He took leave from the Army and undertook an eight-month survey of the battlefield. He then sent a circular letter to surviving British officers who had served at Waterloo. This asked them where their units had been at ‘about 7 P.M.,’ what enemy formations were to their front, what the crops were like in their vicinity, and inviting further comments about the parts played by their regiments. About 700 replies were received and these formed the basis for Siborne’s work. Much of the area occupied by the advancing Prussians is excluded and the model was clearly intended to be viewed from the British position. Nevertheless, it is a magnificent modelling achievement, and along with the archive of letters to Siborne which was its by-product, forms a unique piece of historical evidence. The model was completed in Ireland in 1838 and shipped to England in 39 sections. It was assembled for public display in the Egyptian Hall, Piccadilly. Although the model attracted an estimated 100,000 visitors, paying one shilling each, receipts did not cover Siborne’s costs. He was left seriously in debt. The model was returned to Ireland in 1841 and placed in storage. In 1851, a subscription was raised among the British regiments depicted and the model was purchased. It was brought back to London for display in the Banqueting Hall, Whitehall, as part of the Royal United Service Museum. When that museum was forced to close much of its collection, including the model, was passed to the National Army Museum. The model measures 420 square feet and is built on a ground scale of nine feet to the mile. The terrain is made of plaster and covered with fabric. There are an estimated 75,000 soldiers, cast in a tin-lead alloy and measuring about 7 mm in height.

Waterloo, Battle of, 1815 (Napoleonic Wars, Waterloo 1815)