Taylor's Towers - G & J Lines number 8 and G & J Lines Gamages special

 

I have named the houses Taylor Towers because I bought them from Kevin Taylor who has the most exquisite collection of Lines/Triang dolls houses I've yet to see. 

I never thought I would come to own such lovely examples myself but over the last year or so I have sold some properties that I've restored and stashed the money away like a miser. The houses, although a little tired as they've every right to be are actually in very good condition and I had no intention of stripping or trying to make them perfect. I only do that if a house is truly beyond help.

The house on the left is a G & J Lines house that was made for Gamages and has the fabulous little brass badge on the front to prove it. The one on the right is similar in style but a little earlier in date. This house is the one shown in the Dolls houses Past and Present catalogue. It is a G & J Lines number 8 which were made from 1895 - 1912.

I did very little to the exterior of number 8 apart from a little scraping to see if I could find any trace of gilding. I think (and Marion Osborne thinks) the large wooden half circles over the upstairs windows are later additions but I left them to avoid damaging the original brick. The gilding I added is just wax and is easily removeable.

The Gamages house had been badly painted a nasty shade of blue in some areas so I removed it using a scalpel and discovered gilding on the circular decorations and some of the balustrades. I repainted the door the original colour (black) and changed the roof of the porch to brick colour. The moment the blue was removed the house looked a hundred times better. My trusty helper put the bell back together and it now rings again after who knows how many years.

Inside the number 8, the floor papers were beautifully intact, so it was just a matter of cleaning and waxing. Some of the wall paper was torn but I disguised it with lace (fixed with pins) and once the furniture was in place the damage was scarcely noticeable. The inside of the big door was badly torn but again, I left it and used vintage fabric and trim to make drapes to enhance the original curtains.

I  made a fireplace/cooking range for the kitchen. Then it was just a matter of finding suitable furniture and bits and bobs to fill it. Luckily, I had quite a stash to rummage through but when it came to the Gamagess hoouse, there wasn't much left so I aged some new furniture and added a few vintage pieces to hopefully fool the eye. I will enjoy hunting out more old things to put inside.

Doing up the Gamages House

Once again the papers in the Gamages house were fabulous and what damage there was I was able to repair or conceal. The kitchen floor was the biggest surprise. I thought the brown and gold was paper but close inspection showed it to be old lino square and when I lifted it up the original floor was still there!

It was quite a simple task to replicate the missing parts on thin card and disguise the staining with some water colour paint. The square of lino fitted perfectly in one of the other rooms where the floor had been torn out. Stupidly, I forgot to photograph the finished floor before I put furniture in!

The interior of the large opening door had been painted with thick white gloss complete with drips and runs and I didn't feel up to the task of removing it. Plus, I wasn't confident it could be done without damaging the exterior. Instead, I papered it with modern left over (rather expensive) paper given to me by a friend. I knew it was too white and new looking so I aged it with wood stain and trimmed the windows with old lace. It isn't the perfect solution but it looks better than the thick globby painted surface and if at some point in the future I find a more suitable paper it will be simple to change it.

Now it was time to fill it. As I mentioned earlier, I was running out of vintage furniture so this is just a make do for now solution. I aged some modern stuff and made some from scratch. I highly recommend the light shades made from ping pong balls as shown by Joan Joyce! There may even be one of two small pieces from Temu - ha ha!

After a bit of upheaval and house shifting, we moved a long consul table that previously housed my DH8 and DH1 to the hall and the Gamages house and number 8 now stand side by side, looking quite splendid dressed for Christmas, even if I do say so myself.