Surgeons Hall

Surgeons Hall was an idea that stemmed from the Burke and Hare diorama.

 The Story

I made the Burke, Hare and Dr Grindlay diorama because of my family connection to Dr Grindlay, who was supposed to be embroiled in the Burke and Hare story. Many old family members were doctors and some lectured in both Glasgow and Edinburgh universities. We had a trip to the Surgeons Hall in Edinburgh and it was suggested that I should make a model of it as a 'follow on' from the Burke and Hare one.

That idea festered for a long time since I had other things to do. Many hilarious ideas were thrown into the mix when I was thinking about what I could do. I have almost caught up with other things and I thought it was probably about time I did something about this one. I looked at many pictures and drawings etc and realised that I would have to begin with the table in order to get and idea of size. 

I didn't want a table that looked like a kitchen one, although most pictures seem to have used just such a table. I came across one that was perfect. It certainly wasn't a kitchen table.

 

I don't think the metal bar was part of the table when it was made but I have added it anyway. The foot rest does move out and in. Trying to guess a size from a photo was difficult and I felt I may have made this just a little too small. However, there were photos of tourists lying on it and they did look far too large for the table. Perhaps I've got it about right after all. 

Once I had the table made, I could make a mock up of the seating to see how much space I needed round the table etc.