Object Stories

The Salon – credit BTMM This month, we celebrate a new display by our museum founder, Chris Littledale, featuring an exceptional collection of dollhouse furniture made by 19th-century German toy makers Rock & Graner. Chris has a long history of working with metal toys and models and was a consultant to Christie’s auction house for 24 years. He is a tinsmith, highly regarded restorer and model maker, with a great appreciation for objects made in the traditional craftsman style. In short, Chris recognises quality, and this collection of Rock & Graner pieces, in his opinion, shows “incredible quality in tinsmith work and paint finish and a huge flair for design.” The collection was donated to Brighton Toy and Model Museum in 2021 by Lady Elizabeth Cortazzi, widow of Sir Hugh Cortazzi. Chris recalls the excitement mounting as he unwrapped the furniture from its boxes and realised its significance. Rock & Graner furniture is rare. The museum was already fortunate to have a dinin...

The Chain Pier at Brighton with Characters c.1824 The history of Brighton is never better illustrated than by its iconic buildings, land and seascape.  Many of these have given creative inspiration to model makers over the last two hundred years. As a subject, after the Royal Pavilion, the Chain Pier must run a close second.  The museum has recently received two excellent, yet very different examples of this feat of construction and how it would have looked in its heyday. Both models are much appreciated transfers from Brighton Museum. So - before we look at the models - what was the Chain Pier? To understand the accuracy of our two new models we need a few facts. After the Napoleonic wars (1803-1815) between Britain and France, there was significant growth in cross channel traffic between Brighton and Dieppe. As Brighton was without a harbour, passengers and cargo needed to be safely ferried in small boats to and from larger vessels. The Royal Suspension Chain Pier was built ...