For Immediate Release: 29th August 2013 Contact: Iona Sale, IONA PR, 01451 832 268, 07721

030 825 or iona@ionapr.com

A DOLL'S HOUSE TO DELIGHT Thursday 28th November 2013

The Parlour

A fine early Victorian doll's house, furnished beautifully with traditional furnishings is to be sold by Chorley's on Thursday 28th November and will be the centre stage in a magnificent collection of late 19th/early 20th century toys, dolls and games. The owner, who wishes to remain anonymous, has owned the doll's house since the early 1970s, and a lifetime of collecting has created the outstanding collection of toys and dolls in the sale. It includes many very rare items such as an intriguing Schoenhut circus, a French papier mche Punch and Judy, rare bisque and other French, German and English dolls, early tin plate toys including a working model of Bleriot's plane with original cardboard propeller and beautiful sets of miniature figures, possibly by Hyde. The doll's house (estimate 10,000-15,000) has an entrance hall with kitchen and laundry on the ground floor, the first floor boasts two exceptionally well-furnished reception rooms with two equally well laid-out bedrooms on the second floor and even the attic rooms are furnished in a style that would have been acceptable in the 1850s. The house was made in 1850 by Mr and Mrs Newton of Liverpool for their daughter Emma when she was 6 years old. Mr Newton, a lawyer, was a keen amateur carpenter and it was he who designed and made most of the

Interior view of dolls house

Taking tea

The Kitchen

furniture and the house itself. Mrs Newton, meanwhile, made all the furnishings and the bedclothes. The dolls, china, utensils and some of the more elaborate furniture were 'mass' produced in Switzerland and Germany and at that time were added to the doll's house during the family holidays abroad. Everything is to scale. The doll's house moved to Askham Richard, Yorkshire, when Emma Newton married the Rev. Usher Miles and was much loved and played with by their five daughters. On the death of her husband in 1912, Mrs Miles moved to Cheltenham where the doll's house remained until her death in 1931, when a home was found for it with her second son, Dr William Miles at Bewdley, Worcestershire. When he in turn died in 1953, the doll's house came to Gloucester and was in the possession of his eldest daughter, Mrs Pauline Taylor until 1972, when it passed to the present owner. The owner wishes the doll's house and contents to remain as one and not split up so Chorley's are offering the lot as a whole for sale by informal tender against an asking price of between 10,000-15,000, with all bids to be submitted by 3pm on Thursday 28th November 2013. Almost all the toy collection is in original condition and was collected to create a toy museum, which unfortunately never happened, but the boxes and boxes of children's playthings, housed by this collector for over half a century, would have been played with by children over the previous 100 years. Viewing Days: Tuesday, 26th November, 9am-5pm Wednesday 27th November, 9am-5pm Thursday, 28th November, 8.30am-10.30am For further press information, please contact Iona Sale, IONA PR, 01451 832 268, 07721 030 825 or iona@ionapr.com For further details regarding the sale please contact Catrin Hampton on 01452 344499, email on ech@simonchorley.com or view the fully illustrated online catalogue from early November at www.simonchorley.com
The Dining Room

The Dresser

Jugs

Exterior view of dolls house