Ilkley Toy Museum facts for kids
Teddy bear standing outside Ilkley Toy Museum
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| Established | 2002 |
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| Location | Whitton Croft Road, Ilkley, West Yorkshire, England LS29 9HR |
| Type | Toy museum |
| Public transit access | Ilkley railway station, Ben Rhydding railway station |
The Ilkley Toy Museum is a special place in Ilkley, West Yorkshire, England. It's home to a huge collection of toys from many different times, some as old as 350 BC! The museum is open for everyone to visit, including schools and groups, offering a fun look into the history of toys.
Contents
Exploring the Museum's Toy Collections
The Ilkley Toy Museum has different areas, or galleries, where you can see all sorts of amazing toys. Each gallery has its own unique treasures, from tiny dollhouses to brave toy soldiers.
Ground Floor: Dolls' Houses and Funfair Fun
When you enter the ground floor, you'll find a fantastic collection of dolls' houses. Most of these are from the Victorian era and come from places like Germany and England. You can see tiny furniture and decorations inside them.
- Stafford House: One of the oldest dolls' houses, built around 1830.
- Georgian Dolls' House: This one looks very old, with big, twisted pillars at the front and tiny furniture from the Georgian era.
- Sindy's House: A more modern dollhouse from the 1980s, showing how toys changed over time.
Some of these dolls' houses are actually miniature shops! They have tiny, delicate items on their counters and shelves. You might see tiny glass items, miniature dolls, or even a tiny shopkeeper knitting with real, tiny needles. There's even a miniature pet shop!
At the back of this gallery, there's a cool working model of a fairground from the 1940s. It's an automaton, which means it's a machine that moves on its own. If you put a token in the slot, the fairground comes to life! You can also see a Hornby clockwork train lift here.
First Floor: Toy Soldiers, Cars, and Games
Upstairs, the first floor has a gallery filled with all kinds of toys. You'll discover tin plate toys, like an old Märklin stove, and lead figures. There are also many games, and wooden and paper toys hidden in drawers. Some of these toys are from the Victorian era, while others are from the 1950s.
- Boys' Dolls: You can see dolls made to look like famous characters, along with toy soldiers.
- Toy Cars: There are cool 1960s toy cars, including a Corgi Silverstone.
- Wild West Display: In the middle of the room, a glass case holds an Elastolin display showing a scene from the Wild West.
- Warship Flotilla: Against one wall, you'll find a collection of flat-metal warships and boats from the Victorian era or even earlier.
- Toy Theatre: There's also an early 20th-century cardboard toy theatre made by Benjamin Pollock.
First Floor: Dolls Through Time
The dolls gallery on the first floor is home to some of the museum's oldest and most interesting exhibits.
- Ancient Etruscan Doll: The oldest item in the entire museum is an Etruscan ceramic doll from 350 BCE. This doll can even move its arms and legs!
- Early English Wooden Dolls: You'll see dolls like Miss Barwick, who lived around 1750–1760. She even has her own tiny sedan chair! Miss Barwick's face is carved from wood and covered with a special material called gesso. Her eyes are painted with enamel, and she has real hair for a wig.
- Tudor Stump Baby: Another unique doll is the Lady Potter Palmer doll, a Tudor stump baby.
- Bisque Dolls: There are also beautiful Tete Jumeau bisque dolls that once belonged to a family from Russia.
This gallery also features many famous teddy bears:
- Blanche the Steiff Bear: Blanche is a Steiff teddy bear from 1910. She has a fascinating history, including her experiences during World War II. She even appeared on a TV show called Trainer and in a book about teddy bears.
- Farnell Teddy Bear: You can also see a Farnell teddy bear from 1920. These bears were very popular in England before World War II. They had a special hump on their neck and a lead-weighted "growler" inside their body. When you tipped the bear forward, it would make a deep growling sound!
- Other Bears: The gallery also has Thomas the sad bear and Eddie's Teddy, each with their own story.
External Links
- Ilkley Toy Museum official website: http://www.ilkleytoymuseum.co.uk
- Directions to Ilkley Toy Museum by road
- More directions to the Museum
- Video of a walking toy elephant at Ilkley Toy Museum
- Video of the working fairground at Ilkley Toy Museum
