| Number | AMHAM: OBJECT.827.1 |
|---|---|
| Date | (c. 1935 - 1955) |
| About this object | This wooden doll’s house stands on a green wooden base and, with a mock Tudor front, red roof and painted flowers, has been built in the style of Metro-land houses. With the rapid development of the railways out of London, Metro-land was essentially the development of new housing within easy commuting reach. From the end of the First World War until the 1920s, Metro-land boomed, with “Live in Metro-Land" being a key slogan. This marketing promoted an idyllic rural lifestyle in beautiful homes. Metro-land architecture was typically conservative rather than revolutionary with a strong leaning to so called Tudorbethan styling for housing and shops. Towns such as Harrow, Pinner and Wembley are all Metro-land developments though now greatly expanded. The doll’s house is emblematic of Amersham’s long association with the toy industry. Chesham woodenware factories made toys throughout the twentieth century. Amersham Toys was one of the brand names used by expatriate Jewish Germans, Josef Eisenmann and Leon Rees. Eisenmann & Co was founded in 1880 to import fancy goods and toys from Germany. The business expanded with the local production of soft toys. The doll’s houses came in a variety of styles and inspiration also came from the local area as the ‘Metro-land’ style houses were particularly popular. |
| Made By | Amersham Toys |
| Made In | Waterside, Chesham |
| Physical Description | This wooden doll’s house measures 42.6 cm by 48.3 cm by 27.3 cm and stands on a raised green wooden base bearing the Amersham Toys logo on a metal plaque. The pitched roof is painted red, the house is mock Tudor with a half-timbered exterior (white with black decorative timber framing) and mullioned windows with green outer frames. The house has wooden doors and plastic windows that open with metal hinges. At the base of the exterior, the house is decorated with painted flowers and there is a small milk holder containing four bottles of milk. The front façade of the house hinged and opens fully to reveal the contents of the house. Inside it has two storeys with a set of internal stairs connecting the two floors. The windows on the upper and lower floors are dressed in curtains. The floor downstairs is covered with lino and the walls upstairs and downstairs have patterned wallpaper. On the ground floor, the house is furnished with a round dining table and four dining chairs, all made of wood and varnished. There are also two rectangular benches on the ground floor. Upstairs, there is a wardrobe, a stool, a bed with mattress and quilt and there are also two further wooden benches. |
| Inscription | Amersham Toys |
| Find Out More | Amersham Toys - Amersham Museum Metro-Land Exhibition - Amersham Museum |