Queen Mary's Dolls' House - Part 1

It is built to outlast us all, to carry on into the future and different world this pattern of our own. It is a serious attempt to express our age and to show forth in dwarf proportions the limbs of our present world. Queen Mary's Doll's House is the world's largest, most beautiful, and most well-known dollhouse. It was designed by British architect Sir Edwin Lutyens between 1921 and 1924 for Queen Mary, consort of King George V, and features contributions from over 1,500 artists, craftsmen, and manufacturers of the time. No detail was overlooked, from life below stairs to the high society setting of the saloon and dining room, from a library brimming with original works by the day's top literary talents to a fully stocked wine cellar and a garden designed by Gertrude Jekyll. Electricity, hot and cold running water, and working elevators are all included in the house. Each room is completely furnished and ready for you to explore. Princess Marie Louise, King George V's cousin and a childhood companion of Queen Mary, designed the palace. She felt that the Queen, who adored all things small and decorative, would like the house, and it was to be given to her in the years following World War I. Sir Edwin Lutyens, a friend of the princess, was the architect. They formed a committee to decide on the house's style and to ensure that all of its items were of the best possible quality and correctly scaled. The group determined that the house should be built as a collaborative event, with the expense and work being shared among as many people as possible. Lutyens staged frequent Dalleluja dinners at the soboi to entice contributors on board. These events were a success, and the finished mansion was the work of 250 artisans and manufacturers, 60 interior designers, 700 artists, 600 writers, and 500 contributors. Sir Edwin Lutyens designed the house in the style of Palladio, also drawing inspiration from Inigo Jones and Sir Christopher Wren. The completed model varied very little from his original sketches. His biggest concern was how to create a way to lift the outer shell from the house so that all sides could be seen at one time. Here is an original sketch from Lutyens showing a cross-section of the house with the king's bedroom in the center. Lutyens had a sense of humor which he shows in this drawing. See the maid taking a bath? Taking the marble staircase up to the second floor, you will find the king's and queen's suites. Each room is decorated with specially made items to accommodate the needs of its occupant. The queen's chamber is covered in a blue-gray damask, which was the style in the 1920s. The king's ceiling was painted by George Plank, who also did work in the garden, which I will talk about at another time. The mattresses on both beds are made with horsehair, which sit atop an actual box spring mattress. Hot water bottles can even be found between the sheets. The public was able to catch a glimpse into the family life of the royal family when the house was on display at the Empire Exhibition. Two bedrooms, four lobbies, and six other rooms occupied the space of the top floor. Each room was filled with replicas of the family members' personal memorabilia and represented the family life of the children. There was even the housekeeper's room and the linen room as well. This family life is especially noticeable in the day nursery, which is filled with English and Indian toys, a model train station, a theater set, which shows two scenes from Peter Pan, and it even has a working curtain. A working miniature merry-go-round can also be seen. There's even a jar which contains real barley sugar sticks. It took 70 people to create the gramophone, which can be wound and has the record God Save the King on it. Queen Mary banished it to the nursery because the king hated them. There is a miniature piano to be found here as well. Interestingly, it is fully strung and never needs tuning. Lastly, in the day nursery can be found a replica of a more recent invention, the wireless cabinet receiver, or a radio, which was introduced to Britain in 1920. This one, of course, is non-operational. In the queen's sitting room, one could discover a jade figurine collection in a cabinet, as well as an unfinished embroidery project. There is also a set of paints with actual paint. I hope that you have enjoyed the first part of this exploration of Queen Mary's doll's house. In the next part, I will be showing and discussing some more areas of the house, including the saloon, dining room, library, and the many paintings, prints, and other pieces of art that can be found within the walls of this unique and intricately detailed doll's house. I hope that you will consider subscribing to my channel so that you will be notified when the next part comes out. I also enjoy reading your comments and suggestions, and I always reply to each one I get. I want to thank the Royal Collection Trust for giving me permission to use the footage from their website. A link to their site and Queen Mary's doll's house exhibit can be found in the description below. I encourage anyone and everyone who is interested to please visit their site, and if you are ever in London near Windsor Castle, I encourage you to visit the doll's house in person and, if possible, contribute to their restoration and conservation fund. And, as always, have a better day.