William Siborne’s New Waterloo Model

Abstract

William Siborne has played a major role in our understanding of the battle of Waterloo, and has left a lasting legacy in the form of two large models, a collection of eyewitness accounts, and a history of the campaign that has remained in print since it was first published in 1844. But Siborne's history has become clouded in controversy, and as a result his skills as a model maker have gone largely unnoticed. A recent project to conserve his New Waterloo Model at the Royal Armouries in Leeds has presented a unique opportunity to review this aspect of his work, and to appreciate some of the subtleties of this complex piece of art.