Originally known as ‘baby houses’, the popularity of dolls’ houses increased throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, through to the twentieth century when arguably one of the most famous dolls’ houses ever was created; Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House.

The Dolls’ House was built between 1921 and 1924 in the aftermath of the First World War. Commissioned by Princess Marie Louise as a gift for Queen Mary, it was intended to show the nation’s gratitude for everything that she and King George V had done for the British people throughout the war. Queen Mary had a strong interest in dolls houses and all things miniature, so the idea of a house for her own personal pleasure must have been appealing.

After the devastation of the war, the British economy was struggling to stabilise itself, while public morale was still very low. The Dolls’ House therefore provided an opportunity to increase British production across a wide variety of areas, as well as encouraging a new surge of dolls house building.

The Dolls’ House was never intended as a plaything, but more of a showpiece. ‘Let us devise and design for all time something which will enable future generations to see how a king and queen of England lived in the twentieth century.’ These were the words of Sir Edwin Lutyens, the creator of the Dolls’ House. This was the vision, and the result was the only permanent historical record of life between the wars.

The Dolls’ House was a completely original, glorified and fully furnished architectural model. With over twenty rooms and its own garden, the Dolls’ House also contained many unique features, including a fully stocked wine cellar, electricity and running water. All dolls’ houses reflect the taste of their era, with Queen Mary’s being no exception. It is a perfect example of a twentieth century palace, with elements of both past and present in place.

A vast number of objects were built specifically for the Dolls’ House, many of which were completely unique. These included Doulton china, three hundred handwritten books, and Rolls-Royce cars.

This made the Dolls’ House an exceptional example of twentieth century craftsmanship, with over a thousand contributors.

A testimony to the popularity of the Dolls’ House came when it was displayed in the British Empire Exhibition in 1924, where it attracted over a million visitors. Meanwhile the sales of postcards and books soared. Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House is therefore not only unique in its design and architectural features, but also for the ability it had to unite the monarchy with its people.

Nearly a hundred years after its creation, it can still be seen by visitors to Windsor Castle, where it still has the same effect it inspired when it was built; awe at this exquisite masterpiece. Justifiably, Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House can be called ‘the largest, most beautiful, and most famous dolls’ house in the world’.