Hornby is a company that makes and show cases train, car and airplane model sets its only 2.5 miles away from Newington.

History of Hornby.

Hornby is a household name and is famous as the UK brand leader in the model railway hobby. The company’s founder was Frank Hornby (1863 - 1936) who applied for a patent in 1901 to protect an invention he called ‘Improvements in Toy or Educational Devices for Children and Young People’. Nobody then could have imagined how this product would influence the model railway hobby that we know today.

The Beginning of Hornby

Frank Hornby was granted his patent and soon put the invention into production under the name ‘Mechanics Made Easy’. This led to the establishment of Meccano Ltd in 1907. Such was the success of the Company, Frank Hornby had to regularly move his factory to new and larger premises. Meccano was to become one of the classic toys of all time.

For more information visit--www.hornby.com/uk-en/hornby-visitor-centre