The doll house was placed in storage in Belfast in the 1930s by a family from Fintona, County Tyrone, before being sold by Christie’s, London, in October 2004, and again at C & T Auctions, Kent in November 2022.
Mr David Boles, admiring the work of the Museum of Childhood Ireland, emailed us in November 2022 to see if the museum would be interested in the Fintona doll house, as he noted that “We hadn’t a house of similar age in our Collection.” David had been a member of the consortium that had attempted to purchase Titania’s Palace for the nation back n 1978, and in rescuing this one for the Museum of Childhood Ireland, he knew the Fintona doll house, due to our islandwide remit, would be particularly cherished. The museum board were delighted to accept and confirm David’s very generous donation to the children of Ireland in December 2022. Subsequently, David sponsored conservation of the house and contents for us too and made a generous donation to the museum for our ongoing work with children and youth.
It was kindly collected on our behalf and is currently being stored for us by Waterford Treasures Museum.
David asked for his donation to be listed on the Museum of Childhood Ireland website as “The Fintona doll’s house. And perhaps at the end, donated by David Boles. But keep it in line with your other exhibits.”
MoCI’s Children’s Advisory Team (ages 8-18) offered to undertake a project on the donation of the doll house, and David Boles as a heritage hero, and will present their insightful findings for Heritage Week 2024. From the youngest children to the oldest participants there will be doll house workshops with a very special guest or two!
MoCI’s team of historians also began conducting research on the Fintona doll house, and will deliver their findings for Heritage Week in August 2024, when we will collect the house and contents from its temporary storage space, and bring doll house, children, people, information and workshops together at a very, very special celebratory gathering.
Fintona Doll House and furniture: Museum of Childhood Ireland Collection, reference numbers: DHC10 and DHC11. Date December 15th 2022.
An early painted wooden Irish three storey Dolls Town House, Ireland 1840s/50s, the exterior is painted in large sandstone brick effect with painted black pitched roof with two attic windows and three chimneys, a heavily panelled central front door with brass knocker, keyhole, and with fanlight above, eight glazed windows to the façade, with a further three to each side and six to rear, a sliding front reveals interior of six rooms and hallway, heavy moulded panel interior dummy doors on all levels. Kitchen with paper tiled floor, patterned paper and chalk white walls, built in painted fireplace and wooden shelving.
Furniture includes wooden kitchen table, bamboo chairs, scales, china ware, glazed china doll and more. Parlour with paper wooden floor and red patterned paper walls, including Waltershausen* sowing table and bureau, red silk chaise lounge, three chairs and a parian doll, large Dining room with patterned papered walls and original red velvet drapes, a good larger size set of Rock & Graner** furniture including settee and four balloon back dining chairs all with painted red upholstery and rare oval dining table with tripod legs with heavy flower and grape design, gilt candelabra and rare wax jack, built in fireplace with tinplate grate, various pictures, mirror and china head doll, Salon with patterned green wall papers, Rock & Graner settee and armchair with painted red upholstery and shaped oval centre table, built in fireplace with tinplate grate, clock and more, china head doll, attic Bedroom number one with papered walls and embossed tinplate fireplace, Rock & Graner bed and side table with hinged lid opening to sowing utensils on barley twist legs, upholstered settee and china doll, attic bedroom number two with papered walls, embossed tinplate fireplace, wood effect tallboy and glazed cabinet together with a shaving mirror, tinplate horse and carriage and more.
51” (130cm) tall, 41” (105cm) wide, 23” (59cm) deep
*http://www.mckendry.net/DOLLHOUSES/1890s.htm#1890s
**https://www.craft-products.com/dolls-house-introduction.php