Greville Marchant was a man of many talents. Apprenticed at 16 as an antique restorer and cabinet maker, Greville learned to appreciate, repair and create beautiful pieces of furniture and house fittings. He ran his own business for many years, building high-quality fittings for exclusive homes. Greville went on to qualify as a Chartered Building Surveyor, working as a building pathologist and expert in party wall matters.

In February 2018 Greville was diagnosed with Leiomyosarcoma, a rare cancer affecting his inferior vena cava – the largest vein in the body and a critical part of the circulatory system. He was told there was no treatment and that he had a maximum of 6 months left to live. Sarcoma is an unusual form of cancer which doesn’t necessarily respond to chemotherapy, and Greville was told that an operation was not possible due to the location of the tumour. Greville’s brother Warwick, an anaesthetist at the Royal Free Hospital, worked with a brilliant surgeon, Professor Massimo Malago, a specialist in liver transplants, who thought it might be possible to remove the liver, cut away the tumour, rebuild the IVC, and replace the liver. It was a ground-breaking operation with only a 30% chance of success. We prepared for the worst, but after 10 hours, Greville was wheeled into Intensive Care covered in canulas, drips and syringe drivers. He would spend the next 2 months there under the extraordinary care of Professor Malago’s team and the dedicated nurses of the intensive care unit.

After 3 months he was discharged, physically broken but with his sense of humour and zest for life undimmed. He set about making the most of every day. As Greville’s health deteriorated, his world shrank. And as his world shrank, so did his creations. Greville began a new career making miniature artworks.

It all started when his friend Gershon gave him an Airfix model of a Focke Wulf. Greville had passed the time making incredibly detailed balsa wood models of airplanes. When he received the Airfix model, not only was it way too simple for him, but he objected to making a German plane. Then he came up with the idea of a diorama depicting the Focke crashed in a river, with the German airman standing next to the wreckage held at gunpoint by a British soldier. Greville threw himself into the model with gusto, and created a detailed, perfectly executed piece of art.

After this, Greville’s imagination went wild and he began to make models which were both witty and beautifully painted. He was a perfectionist, paying huge attention to every detail. He would come up with ideas in the middle of the night and spend the next day searching online for the necessary materials. Sadly, many of these projects remain unfinished as, on 10th June 2024, Greville died and with him died all his craftsmanship, ingenuity, and humour.

He was originally given only 6 months to live but, helped by the remarkable medical staff who looked after him, he fought every new appearance of the disease, lived life to the fullest, saw both his daughters get married, and held his first grandson.

This exhibition is an opportunity for others to enjoy Greville’s miniature dioramas, and to raise funds for Sarcoma UK. Sarcoma UK is a national charity that funds vital research, offers support for anyone affected by sarcoma cancer and campaigns for better treatments. It is the only cancer charity in the UK focusing on all types of sarcoma.

There will be a raffle and a silent auction through which you will have the opportunity to own one of Greville’s models. All proceeds will go to Sarcoma UK.