Miniature metal modelling kit

Invented at the turn of the (20^th) century by later-synonymous- with-model-railways Frank Hornby, Meccano revolutionised the toy industry. The name, possibly better suited to a gruff, Scottish detective, was reportedly a contraction of “mechanics” and “know”, although Hornby first marketed it as “mechanics made easy”. The company’s Binns Road factory in Liverpool¹ churned out tonnes of the tiny tin plates until its closure in 1980 (and, as well as producing Meccano, Dinky toys and Hornby train sets, the factory performed a vital social function in the city, having its own sports teams and hosting the Miss Meccano beauty pageant and various works outings. Betcha don’t get that at Computacenter).

A boy’s toy if ever there was one, each box came with a full set of spanners, screwdrivers and other hard stuff – there was no room for LEGO-style “we’re making a dollies’ house today” exceptions here. It was robust dockyard container cranes, plate rollers, industrial robots and traction engines all the way. Plus, Meccano had a whiff of the vocational about it. It was only a short step from building your own toy skyscraper to eating a packed lunch on a fifty-third floor beam on the yet-to-be-completed London Gherkin. (For goodness’ sake, please don’t take a short step from there…).

Later Meccano sets were more flexible – literally – but this toy had always offered a couple of additional, extra-curricular uses. Two long strips bolted together into a cross formation made for a razor-sharp (and often rusty) pirate’s sword, as many a sliced knee bore witness to. Also, rumour has it that, when Barry Sheene smashed up his bike on the Grand Prix run in Silverstone, surgeons had to rebuild him with parts from the range’s best-selling Construction Outfit 10. More recently, smart-arse conceptual sculptor Chris Burden used Meccano to fleece saw-you-coming-mate bosses at Newcastle’s Baltic museum out of a hundred grand for a replica of the Tyne Bridge. Reports that the artist’s next project will comprise taking a million pound shipment of coals to the city are unsubstantiated.