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.

• View the Lutyens Dolls' House
• History of dolls' houses
• Read about Charles Rennie Mackintosh

External Links:

• The Lutyens Trust
• ArchInform Profile