Miniatures
The Mayenne Miniatures museum - NOW OPEN!!
With an on-site museum housing one of the owners' extensive collection of dollshouses and room boxes built up over 40 years of international travel, we have a special interest in tiny things!
Please note this is NOT a doll museum or a museum of old toys, but a collection of scale models, and so is best enjoyed by adults and children over 6.
THE MUSEUM IS OPEN BY SPECIAL APPOINTMENT ONLY. PLEASE CALL (+ 33) (0) 243 91 77 69) OR EMAIL FIRST TO ARRANGE A TIME TO VISIT. There will also be two opportunities to visit the museum in October 2009 as part of Traveling Together's special vacation package for miniaturists. Click here for further information about this tour.
The museum collection features more than 40 individual displays including an eight-room medieval wizard's castle with furniture by noted artisans including Barry Hipwell and an armoury by Tony Knott, a 12-room 20th century family home with American furniture dating back to the 1960s. There is also a restaurant with gift shop from the Arizona Southwest featuring Native American craftspersons, plus a 4-room Alpine Christmas shop with furniture and decorative items by Karen Markland and other noted American and German artists, plus a 2-room cat themed shop with over 450 cat items.
Roomboxes include The Elegant Entryway (a scene built in a Brooke Tucker workshop), a specially commissioned mouse house by Sans Robinson of Rosie Duck designs, and a teddy bear shop with more than 350 miniture bears. There is also a Edwardian hat shop, a Victorian conservatory, a delicatessan, and many other unique scenes containing fine scale work from all over the world, including two 1/144th scale houses by Nell Corkin and some items in 1/24th scale. Several of pieces have been featured in specialist collector magazines such as Nutshell News and International Dolls House News. Recent additions include a ballet costume maker's workshop, a feline New Year's Eve party and Santa Claus making toys, as well a bedroom with Russian lacquered furniture.
The museum also displays a small collection of miniature teddy bears and we have on loan display three houses from the collection of noted miniature plant artisan Georgina Steeds. Coming soon - a four storey Dutch antique shop, the teddy bear ballet, an Easter shop and a Gothic gatehouse.
Here are photos just a few of the items to whet your appetite (please also see the article in the February 2009 issue of Dollshouse and Miniature Scene and th profile in DollsHOuse Magazine February 2010)...
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Edward's Bears |
The wizards' academy |
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Pas de Chat |
Farmhouse kitchen |
Interested in organising a miniatures event here?
If your club or any group of miniaturists would like to organise a short break here centred around a custom-designed workshop or 'retreat' to catch up on unfinished projects, do contact us to discuss your ideas! Or if you can find the students (6 min); we can provide a venue for your class, and we will help you to find a teacher for if needed. One day events are also possible (with lunch included).
For residential events, three meals a day are provided (including wine with the 4 course dinner). 7 rooms are available, each sleeping 3-4 people, with one adapted for disabled visitors. You will need to arrange your own travel but we can usually collect rail travellers at Laval or Le Mans.