Known as the Little Venice of the Cotswolds, the historic village of Bourton-on-the-Water straddling the river Windrush has long boasted an impressive tally of preserved buildings, with 117 designated as Grade II listed or above.

So it seems in keeping that its model village – an exact replica of itself built to 1:9 scale and opened on Coronation Day in 1937 – should be similarly recognised for its architectural and historical significance.

English Heritage says it is the first time a model village has been given Grade II listed status, but it qualifies in its uniqueness in representing the Cotswold vernacular style, and providing an authentic snapshot of a traditional Cotswold environment.

Set within the gardens of The Old New Inn, itself a Grade II listed building, the model village is believed to be the second built in the country when it was commissioned in the 1930s by the inn-owning Morris family who hired eight local builders and craftsmen to construct it over five years using local limestone and miniature Cotswold stone slates.

So detailed are the models that visitors are able to see pews, and details such as moulded kneelers and drip moulds, inside the two parish churches through delicately traceried stained-glass windows. It faithfully replicates the layout of the village, from its lanes of houses, some dating back to the 17th century, to its picturesque stone bridges.

“Such is its accuracy that it even has the model of itself in the back garden of this miniature pub,” said Deborah Williams, head of designation for the west at English Heritage. “It’s delightful, unusual, and quite precise in every detail.”

Morris is believed to have been inspired by the model village in Bekonscot, at Beaconsfield in Buckinghamshire, the first to be built in England in the late 1920s. Keen to cash in on the motor car boom, he wanted an attraction to put Bourton on the map.

The Old New Inn and model village remained in the Morris family until 1999, when they were bought by Vicki Atherton and her husband Julian.

Vicki was daunted and excited at maintaining the much-loved attraction. “We’ve got a full-time stone mason and a full-time gardener. It is absolutely constant,” she said. “The weather we had this winter means that, because it is all built of Cotswold stone and the stones are so tiny, we get loads of frost damage shatters.

“With Bourton’s planning laws, the buildings have changed very little since the 1930s. But shops change hands constantly, so we endeavour to keep the shop signs up to date.”

About 30 model villages are believed to have been constructed, most dating from the 1950s and 1960s or later, and situated in seaside towns as tourist attractions. The majority are fictional villages, which do not recreate an actual location, and did not use authentic materials.

The Bourton-on-the-Water village is rare, if not unique, said English Heritage, in not only recreating a real village in miniature at a particular point in time, but also being constructed by builders using genuine building material and methods.

Heritage minister Ed Vaizey said: “This may be a highly unusual listing but it is no less worthy of its Grade II listed status. The craftsmanship involved in creating what is a hugely loved family attraction is second to none and I’m delighted that in listing we have preserved the work of the local people who built the model village and protected its history for future generations.”