Jools Holland shows off his incredible 90ft model railway
Jools Holland has shown off the incredible 90ft model train he has created in the attic of his Kent mansion.
The pianist and singer, 64, took 45 years to perfect the elaborate construction and has now revealed it in the series Hornby: A Model World on Yesterday.
The railway is made up of seven differently layered tracks that recreate 600 miles of Europe and includes landmarks such as Belgian mansions, the Parisian red-light district and London’s bomb-damaged East End.
Giant! Jools Holland has shown off the incredible 90ft minitrain he’s created in the penthouse of his Kentish mansion
He said Mirror that working on his model railway helps him relax and transports him to ‘another world’.
He said: ‘My job takes up all my time, so I really don’t want to go and stay in a hotel because that’s like working for me.
“You can get here very, very quickly, you don’t have to take a plane, train or get in a car and in the blink of an eye, you’re transported to another world where you can focus.”
Incredible: The pianist and singer, 64, took 45 years to create and perfect the elaborate construction and now he has revealed it in the series Hornby: A Model World on Yesterday.
“A lot of the buildings hold fond memories because I bought them in weird places while I was away.”
In the series, one of Britain’s most beloved model-making companies, Hornby, opens its doors to reveal how its dedicated team of designers “strive to shrink a new generation of mighty machines”.
It comes after Jools first spoke out last year about being diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2014, saying he didn’t notice he had “any symptoms at all.”
The musician, who has been successfully treated for the disease, revealed that it was diagnosed after a routine blood test eight years ago.
Detail: The railway is made up of seven tracks with different layers that recreate 600 miles of Europe and includes landmarks such as the Parisian red-light district and London’s East End.
He said he did not have any symptoms before his shock diagnosis, as he said more people need to be made aware of the risks of the disease.
Jools said: “I was unaware of prostate cancer, I didn’t notice any symptoms, until I was diagnosed after a routine blood test in 2014.”
The television presenter said that if more people were aware of the risks of the disease and could detect it in time, “more lives would be saved.”
He added: “If I can make people aware of the facts about prostate cancer, then I would certainly stand on my piano and shout about it because I think it’s really important.”
Jools also announced that he would be partnering with Prostate Cancer UK for a music event, Raise the Roof, featuring Paloma Faith, Celeste, Paul Weller and Spice Girl Melanie C at the Royal Albert Hall on June 22.
All funds raised at the star-studded music concert went towards finding a testing approach for prostate cancer, which could then be used in a UK-wide screening scheme.
When he first spoke publicly about his ordeal with prostate cancer, Jools said he thinks it’s “really important” for men to be aware of the risks of the disease.
Difficult: It comes after Jools first spoke out last year about being diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2014, saying he didn’t notice he had any “symptoms at all” (pictured November 2014)
He said: ‘It’s very important not to be afraid to have conversations because it’s much better to discuss and address something early than to leave it until it’s too late.’
The pianist added that if he hadn’t had the routine test, then he would still have had no symptoms and it might have been ‘too late’ to treat the cancer.
‘People often think ‘this is something that happens to other people’. It’s not like I felt any different. It’s not like I suddenly feel bad, except all of a sudden you have this thing hanging over your head and you’re like ‘wait, aren’t people dying from all this?'” he said.
‘If I hadn’t had that routine test, where something had turned up, I would have gone on and on until maybe it was too late to have done anything about it.
“And that’s why it’s really important for men to be aware of the facts about prostate cancer and understand their risk.”
Hornby: A Model World begins Monday at 8pm on Ayer.
Terrifying: The musician, who has been successfully treated for the disease, revealed that it was diagnosed following a routine blood test eight years ago