Nostell Priory Dolls’ House
Not only is this example of an 18th century dolls’ house rare in that few remain from this period, it is the only dolls’ house of this period in the National Trust collection still to be found within its original family home. Dolls’ houses from this period where not only a wonderful plaything and a symbol of wealth and status, they provided an educational tool for the aristocratic young women of the house to practise their social etiquette and how to run a country house. This example has exquisite detail replicating the original house, from working door handles and locks, to a hallmarked silver dining set, and perfectly scaled items of furniture. In 2019, a survey was carried out by Tankerdale on the Nostell Priory Dolls’ House and priority work was identified.
Over winter, the team from Wynn-Griffiths and Tarr worked to stabilise the cantilever staircase. As with all other elements of the dolls’ house, the staircase, made of Cuban mahogany, also shows incredible attention to detail and craftsmanship. The image and video show the stairs whilst being re-glued, the handrail and balusters have been removed, the old glue cleaned off the joints and all re-glued. Three props beneath the stairs ensure that the weight and cumulative downwards pressure of the cramping don’t affect the stairs. Over time the stairs have dropped but the handrail has stayed in its original position, resulting in gaps at the tops of the balusters and at least one previous attempt to re-glue the handrail. The pine blocks being used with the cramps have Plastazote between the wood and the stairs to ensure no damage is caused. The process also involved working with lighting specialists to carry out the threading of wires and installing of intricate lighting without damaging the dolls’ house.
Work was also carried out on some of the internal partitions and pieces of furniture. This hall chair was in great condition overall, but had suffered the loss of a foot. Josh selected a piece of Cuban mahogany with a good grain match, created a template from the existing foot and shaped the replacement to this template.
