Early 19th C wooden, three storey, doll’s Town House, belonging to the Russell family, Seafield, Waterford.
Barbara Wright played with the Seafield Dolls house as a small girl. It had been given to her by her Aunt Kathleen Hudson (nee Russell) who lived in a large house called Carriganore just outside Waterford in the late 1930s early 1940s. She had been gifted it by her parents James and Grace Russell, and she passed it on to Barbara as her children, both boys, were not so interested in playing with it.
Barbara lived at Seafield all through her childhood, and was educated by a governess (with two other girls) until she went away to school in Armagh when she was thirteen years old. Her governess was very clever with her hands and helped the children make some furniture for the dolls house from empty matchboxes, including a chair, table and bed. She painted them green. Barbara’s brother is Richard. All her friends who came to the house played with the doll house and then years later Lizzy her daughter did too, as a small girl whenever they visited Seafield.
Other children with connections to thye doll house are Helen, Iain and Annabelle Russel, Lizzie ( Elizabeth ) Jamison, and Julia Elgie.
Barbara’s friend Mary Roch-Perks, who is in her 90s now also remembers the doll house, but preferred playing with a farmyard and horses set there!
“My childhood memories are all about horses and riding, especially during the war years when there was no petrol for private cars so to get around you either had to walk, bicycle or ride a horse or a pony. My father was Master of the local Waterford Hunt and this was our family’s main interest. The hounds for the Hunt were also kennelled on our land and the stable yard was full of horses. My mother also enjoyed our fairly large garden which grew all the vegetables and fruit needed for our household and the hens and cows provided eggs and milk. I learned to churn the cream from our milk and make butter with my mother. The governesses ( there were several during my, and my older brother’s childhood) were necessary as the only schools locally accessible were for Catholics and our family were Church of Ireland. Hence why I later, after the war, went to the Protestant School near Armagh and my brother was sent to a boarding school in Dublin and later finished his schooling in England.”
Barbara Wright
McAllister Collection, Donated to the Museum of Childhood Ireland
Russel Family Doll House: Museum of Childhood Ireland Collection, reference number: DHC12. Date August 15th 2024.