40 Years of our Tiny World of Wonder

It took me a while, but it finally sunk in.  2024 is the 40th Anniversary of Kensington Dollshouse Festival!  It was born in 1985 as the London Dollshouse Festival by Caroline Hamilton & Sue Atkinson, 2 dolls house enthusiasts who wanted to bring the community of dolls house & miniature lovers together in a celebration of the skill & imagination that is so unique to this art form. 

At that time, other shows were taking place in the UK; Miniatura in Birmingham (founded by Muriel Hopwood & now run by her son Andy) & York Dolls House Fair (established by Doreen Vincent) were already running, but there was not a show in the South East, although there were a trio of incredible dolls house shops in London at that time, The Dolls’ House, Covent Garden, The Singing Tree, Fulham & Kristin Baybars, Gospel Oak (all now sadly closed), so there was definitely a market for a show featuring the best makers that the UK & the rest of the world had to offer.

It was an immediate success & Caroline went on to run a show at Kensington Town Hall every May until 2005 when I took over the mantle.  This photo of the leaflet Caroline produced for her last show in 2004 illustrates that we maintain the same principals that she instilled in the first 20 years of the Festival & it is interesting to see the list of names – many of which still exhibit at our shows.

Unfortunately, our venue means we can only hold a certain number of stands, so the size of our show is always limited, but this means we can maintain a high standard for the quality of work on display. This, along with the atmosphere & whole experience makes it a popular destination for dolls house lovers from across the globe. We try to have something for everyone, from DIY products to fully decorated houses, it is such a diverse hobby, taking in so many traditional crafts & skills to produce the tiny work on display & now also embracing new technology meaning even the impossible is now do-able!

2024 also is my anniversary! I was honoured to take over this incredible show in 2005 & since then I have had  an amazing 20 years surrounded by the surreal world of miniaturism. The show may have changed over this time, as the art form changes itself, but we are always excited to see what each show will bring & we love discovering the new & exciting miniaturists creating all these minuscule masterpieces on display at our shows.

The survivors from 1985.

We have seen hundreds of talented makers set up their stand at our shows over the last 40 years & at our last event (the KDF Summer Show), there were a couple of makers remaining who are still with us 4 decades later.  Lucy Askew & Mulvany & Rogers. Lucy tells us more about her life in miniatures & her memories of the 1st ever London Dollshouse Festival:

As a child, I loved tiny things & my favourite places to visit were Pollocks Toy Museum & Bethnal Green Museum of Childhood, where I would gaze at the dolls houses & then go home to my black metal cabinet divided into 4 compartments, decorated & furnished with pewter plates & kitchen pans I had made from the foil on the top of wine bottles.

When I left school I got into model making via a friend who asked me to make a model of Ham House for an exhibition. Another commission from the V&A followed & this lead me to Rochester College of Art where I enrolled as a student.  At this time, I discovered The Singing Tree (who I started to make fireplaces for) & Kristin Baybars incredible shop. I remember Kristin invited me to come along to the very first London Dollshouse Festival with her to see what others were making & I took along my fireplaces which she showed to John Hodgson, who had a table opposite.

After this first show, I loved returning to Kensington. It has continued to be the place where ingenious & delightful makers come to show their beautiful little things & over the years I have met so made so many lovely friends.

Keeping it in the family

Although these were the only 2 exhibitors from our original Festival in 1985 at the show, there were others who have stepped in to the shoes of parents or grandparents when the time came for them to retire.

Country Treasures:

Paul & Jan Brownhill made beautiful copper & brassware items for a dolls house kitchen as well as other country style bits & bobs.  Paul & Jan were at the original LDF in 1985 & continued to exhibit at every show for the next 35+ years, but sadly Paul died in 2021 & Jan was unable to continue. This is where their grand daughter, Laura, stepped in. She had already been attending the show with her grandparents, so she took over the business & although she doesn’t make the copperware her grandfather made, she is an incredibly talented artist who makes beautiful country items & scenes that fit perfectly with the Country Treasures name.

J Designs:

Jill Bennett was also at the original LDF in 1985.  A famous illustrator of children’s books, Jill also made beautiful 3d characters in the form of her dolls.  She created a unique articulated metal body that meant her dolls could be positioned, each with a porcelain head & hands. The detail in each doll was incredible, with costume, hair & accessories all researched & skillfully made by Jill.  When she had to retire, her daughter Kate was making her own dolls under the name Kate Pinsent Dolls.  Kate specialises in the smaller 1:24 scale but also still make the 1:12 scale dolls her mother was famous for. She is now a regular attendee at our shows.

John Hodgson:

Another master craftsman who attended the first LDF in 1985 was John Hodgson.  The maker of some of the finest furniture & an incredible artist, John’s work was always considered among the best available & it won him a big commission to create a series of miniature rooms at Hever Castle (well worth a visit if you are able to get there). In later years, John made resin copies of his furniture that he would paint/gild & upholster & these became must have pieces for all serious dolls house collectors.  

When John was no longer able to continue working, his daughters stepped up & with the help of his wife Sue, they have kept John’s designs alive, with daughter Ruthie upholstering John’s furniture to his high standards.

Souvenirs of the Festival

Sometimes we produced a special miniature to celebrate the show.  I have a small collection of memorabilia from past years & would love to hear from you if you have any souvenir items you bought at the Festival in years gone by.

Our next live event is the KDF Christmas Show on November 30th at Kensington Town Hall. You can book tickets HERE.

Or, if you can’t travel to London this year, why not visit our ONLINE Showcase from the comfort of your sofa. FREE access will be available HERE from 11.00 (BST) on Friday 30th August until 17.00 (BST) on Thursday 5th September.