A History of Dolls' Houses
Edwin Landseer Lutyens, 1869 - 1944
Edwin Lutyens was born in London but moved with his
family to Surrey whilst young. He was the eleventh child of a family
of fourteen, educated at home. His father became a painter after leaving
the army. As a painter he experimented with various techniques and
so his son, the architect, was keen to try new combinations of materials.
Lutyens became the best known British architect of
the early part of the 20th century, enjoying a career lasting 50 years.
When he was 20 he met Gertrude Jekyll, Artist, Gardener
and Craftswoman who was also born in London and moved to rural Surrey
when she was young. Together they were one of Britain’s major
contributors to the ‘Arts and Crafts’ movement and a prime
example of their work was Munstead Wood, a house for which Jekyll commissioned
Lutyens to design, while she designed the garden.
Amongst his other works are the Cenotaph in Whitehall, the British Embassy in Washington and
the Johannesburg Art Gallery. He remodelled Lindisfarne Castle and built Castle Drogo – both
of these are now owned by the National Trust. As a more light-hearted project, he designed
Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House which is now in Windsor Castle.
The Lutyens Dolls’ House from The Dolls House
Emporium is inspired by the ‘Surrey
Style’ which Lutyens has used repeatedly. The tall, fancy chimneys
and fireplaces are taken from Goddards, the large latticework windows
and arch are from Folly Farm, and the distinctive big roofs with dormer
windows and heavy window frames and doors feature in most of his domestic
architecture.
The fireplace in the dolls’ house is reminiscent
of the one in the dining room at Goddards. The snug has an inglenook
fireplace and the main bedroom has built-in cupboards and fireplace,
also inspired by those at Goddards. The house has six rooms and a magnificent
reception hall with ‘wood panelling’. Miniature replicas
of Lutyens’ furniture have been reproduced, including his outdoor
bench which can be found in our garden
furniture section.
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