Wooden shape
Category
Toys
Date
Unknown
Materials
Stained wood
Measurements
10-43 mm (Height) x 43 mm (Width) x 43-177 mm (Length)
Collection
Sudbury Hall Museum of Childhood, Derbyshire
NT 672254.2
Summary
The wooden blocks contained in a pull-along tray on wheels (catalogued as 672254.1). There are 32 blocks - 4 rectangular blocks - stained red and 2 stained yellow, 4 long, shallow rectangular blocks - 2 stained red and 2 stained yellow, 4 shorter, shallow rectangular blocks -1 stained red and 3 stained green, 8 cubes - 4 stained red and 4 stained yellow, 4 long, flat rectangular blocks stained green, 4 square, shallow (half-cube) blocks - 2 stained red and 2 stained yellow and 4 triangular (half-cube) blocks - 2 stained yellow and 2 stained red.
Provenance
Part of a large collection of handmade toys and puzzles donated to the Museum of Childhood in 2019 by Nigel Briggs. They were made by John Doble, father of the donor's wife Hanne. He had worked with Nancy Catford (of the Nursery Schools Association), the designer of the toys, during the Second World War. Together they produced paper patterns that people could use at home as templates for thin ply patterns which could in turn be used to make their own wooden toys. Other toys were made from dowels and empty cotton reels.