Queen Mary’s Dolls’ house is celebrating an important milestone- 2024 marks its 100th birthday. This incredible dollhouse was created in 1924 and is now on display at Windsor Castle.
A friend of Queen Mary, Princess Marie Louise, came up with the idea of a to-scale doll house to thank The Queen for her dedicated support during the First World War. The Princess called upon English architect Sir Edwin Lutyens to help with the massive undertaking, and the pair called upon a committee to help design and create the house.
Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House is built to scale and are one twelfth the size of the true items. There are several rooms including a library, a dining room, a kitchen, a salon, and more. The house is complete, including electricity and running water throughout.
The House was not built by one maker but rather was a group effort by hundreds. The committee decided that specialists should be asked to create items for the house to showcase their craft. There were over 250 craftsmen, 700 artists, 600 authors, and 60 artist-decorators who contributed to the project.
The library in the house includes many miniature, complete books. Several authors were asked to contribute, and you can find their books in the library now: J.M Barrie, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and A.A. Milne all donated books for the project.
Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House was originally displayed at the Empire Exhibition in 1924; it was moved to Windsor in 1925 and remains on display there.
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