Family hopes 'outstanding' models find new homes

Late model maker, Barry Sharman, devoted countless hours of his life to creating intricate replicas of ships and military vehicles.

He became hooked on model making at the age of 15 and it became a lifelong passion; he spent decades building highly detailed ships entirely from scratch.

Barry, who was known among modelling circles for his patience, precision and eye for detail, died in January aged 86.

Now, his stepdaughter Barbara Geary, wants to ensure his "works of art" are admired for years to come and is auctioning some of his remarkable collection.

"I believe all his work should be with people that really appreciate it and have got a love of it.

"He was a very clever man and engineer, who made models just for the love of it," Barbara said.

Barry, who lived in Woolston, was a heating and ventilation engineer by trade, working on huge projects including the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton and the city's geothermal heat network, which connects the Civic Centre, West Quay and other large businesses.

He applied the same attention to detail to work as to his models, often ordering plans to ensure that every element of his model was a scale replica.

Barbara said: "His work is outstanding. He scratch built just about everything. He made it [the boat] look like it has actually been to sea, he made it look like the chains that are on deck have been used a thousand times."

After his wife, Iris, died in 2008, model making kept Barry going.

He spent three and a half years crafting, HMCS Agassiz, one of the ship's being auctioned by Elliott's Auctioneers in Dorset.

Barry said afterwards he would not have survived her loss without the project.

At almost a metre, it's an impressive1:72 scale model but if you turn it around, Barry had cut out panels so you can see inside the boiler room and cabins, there's even a cheeky, man on the toilet.

She recalled Barry working in the shed when she was a girl, before he moved his workshop into the spare room of their Southampton home and used the garage for his models.

"He was generous, kind and would talk to other people about their models more than his own."

Barbara, from Hythe, added: "He was a hard taskmaster, he liked things to be done right and had a very particular eye for detail in every aspect."

She said Barry would have liked to have joined the navy when he was young but his father wouldn't allow him to. She believes his passion for ships was ignited by three of his uncles, who were all in the navy.

Barbara, 72, has already given away a lot of Barry's models to his friends and colleagues and has donated other pieces to businesses and organisations, including an 8ft by 4ft scale model of Mulberry Harbours in Normandy - the harbour played a crucial role in the D-Day landings.

Barry was member of IPMS (International Plastic Modellers' Society) Southampton and IPMS Romsey (Romsey Modellers) and would spend hours sharing his knowledge with members.

He regularly exhibited his models at shows, winning numerous prizes over the years, including 2013 IPMS Senior National Champion, the ultimate accolade for plastic model makers.

Nine of Barry's ships and other models go to auction on 9 May with Elliott's Auctioneers in Wimborne.

Auctioneer David Elliott said: "This collection is unique in its quality.

"Everything has been built from scratch over many years, with an extraordinary level of detail —right down to the interiors."

Barbara added: "If I kept them all no-one would ever see the works of arts that he has created, they need to be with people that love them.

"It is not about the cash, they need to be loved and admired.

"Hopefully, his work will be on display somewhere in the world for many years to come."