Wooden shape
Category
Toys
Date
Unknown
Materials
Stained wood
Measurements
45 mm (Height) x 84mm (Width) x 85 mm (Depth)
Collection
Sudbury Hall Museum of Childhood, Derbyshire
NT 672279.2
Summary
Part of a set of wooden shapes, consisting of a rectangular block with a square base , a rectangular block with a square base and triangular ends and two small pieces of dowel, which can be put together to form a house. This part is the 'roof'. It has been stained dark red-brown, and has two small holes in the base, into which can be fitted the small pieces of dowel embedded in the top of the block catalogued as 672279.1. There are two larger holes in the top, into which can be fitted the two 'chimneys' made from dowel, catalogued as 672279.3.
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.