Number 77

 

I bought this one on Ebay, she cried out to me for help and I couldn't resist. Luckily the seller was happy to send it via courier - I lose so many because people are reluctant to post but with careful packaging they do arrive in one piece. Anyway, I digress. This one probably dates to the 1950s. Pre-war models had painted front and garage doors and dinky little chimney pots. The chimney is missing on this and several other of my models but I know a clever man who can replicate those once he gets around to it.

The outside of this had been rather crudely painted in white emulsion - paint splashes on the gabling and on the base. The roof was damaged but salvageable. Inside, the walls were papered with loud shouty 1970s wallpaper, the floors carpeted in foam backed flooring that had been stuck down with some monstrous adhesive. I had planned to do another house before I began this one but within an hour of it arriving, I began to pick at the paper and before bedtime I had already uncovered some original wall paper that appeared to be in good condition.

I've found a man who sells replica Triang paper now so put in my order and began to work on the house while I waited for it to arrive. Luckily, I find scraping quite theraputic and spent a happy few days cleaning the house up ready for refurbishing.

 As I began to remove the top layer of white paint, the original flowers began to appear, filling me with excitement but alas, they were only intact in one small area. Luckily I have plenty of tin foil on hand!

I was so pleased to find this old inscription from 1976 on the back. I wonder who Jane Pantho was and where she is now. If you are reading this, Jane, your house is in good hands. I didn't paint over this - how could I?

The old electrics were still in place. I kept the old workings on the back but removed all but one bulb and replaced them with a new, safer set of lighting.

                         

It is all rather cosy now and the new occupants seem very happy.

The new tiled floor brightened the place up and the Triang wallpaper kept it in keeping with the era. I left a strip of reasonably good original paper beneath the stairs. In the parlour next door, the paper was quite badly damaged but I wanted to keep it so I set the room up as if they were in the middle of decorating with tiny rolls of paper made of scraps, a trestle table I bought on line and a square of plastic packaging to protect the new floor. Since then I've added a step ladder and am on the look out for miniature pots of paint. I think this is my favourite room of all!

I've really enjoyed this one. I will have fun adding bits and pieces to it to make the family more comfortable. Poor Granny doesn't even have a proper bed to sleep on!

Good as new now, a worthy addition to my rapidly increasing collection.