Jump to content

Des Newton (model maker)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by William Avery (talk | contribs) at 09:50, 1 February 2021 (Remove well-known hypocorism - MOS:NICKNAME | fixed dashes using a script). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Dennis Newton (10 May 1942 – 30 January 2009), was a noted maker of model ships in bottles, holding the world record for the smallest whisky bottle in which two ships were inserted. Newton appeared on Blue Peter, placing a Blue Peter badge in a bottle.

Newton, born in Barrow-in-Furness when the town was still Lancashire, England grew up with boats and eventually became a welder in the towns shipyards. He said that because he was small, he was always the one "picked out to weld the inside of the rudders and masts and other nasty places were no other person could reach."

Newton also placed a model Royal Yacht Britannia in a bottle for the Queen, noting that the model was a "very difficult one", citing details such as Royal standards and "glazed cockpit screens on the royal barge".

Newton worked as a "ship in a bottle" demonstrator at the Merseyside Maritime Museum for over 20 years.

In 1989, Newton was awarded the Lifeboatman statuette for his services to the RNLI. Des and his wife were jointly made Life Governors of the RNLI.

References