The dollhouse, finished in 1924, was gifted to Queen Mary the same year. Sir Edwin Lutyens' design intended to accurately depict the contemporary domestic design of the era in a 1:12 scale. Every detail of the dollhouse from the wrought iron entry gates in the garden to the chandeliers in the King's Bedroom functions as if the house had been a victim of the ray in "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids."
The mechanical and engineering equipment (the water system, electric lighting, and elevators) actually work. The gramophone plays, the wine bottles in the cellar contain genuine vintage wines and there are over 200 miniature volumes of books by famous authors of the day- some in their own hand. Kipling, Chesterton, Conan Doyle, Hardy and Barrie are among those authors represented. In addition, the furniture was crafted by the leading craftsman of the day and the paintings were commissioned from well known artists.
Once finished, the dollhouse made its debut in Wembley at the 1924 British Empire Exhibition. It was also displayed at the ninth Ideal Home Exhibition at Olympia, London, in 1925.
Unfortunately, photography is not permitted anywhere within Windsor Castle, so I was unable to obtain any photographs of the Dollhouse.
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