Miniatures
NEW!! - MAYENNE MINATURES MASTERCLASSES 2008
We are now offering an extensive programme of residential workshops run by international miniatures artisans, here in Northwest France.
- Have a holiday and make miniatures too!
- Visit the new onsite miniatures museum
- Learn skills from professionals
- Take away a finished project
- Full board provided
- Luxurious accommodation with indoor pool
How it works
Each course is run by an independent professional who has set the level of fee for his or her classes. There is a minimum number of participants required for each event to take place. Click here for full programme details.
The classes vary in level and intensity - some involve all day and even evening sessions, others are taught only in the mornings or have one afternoon free, leaving time for personal holiday activities. There will also usually be an opportunity to buy other items from the teachers during each event (such as their other kits, or additional furnishings or accessories).
For these 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.
If your club would like to organise a short break around a custom-designed workshop or 'retreat' to catch up on unfinished projects, possibly coinciding with one of the French shows, contact us, and we will find a teacher for your event if needed.
The Mayenne MIniatures museum
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! The museum collection features 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, and also a restaurant with gift shop from the American Southwest featuring American indian artwork, plus a 4-room Alpine Christmas shop with furniture and decorative items by Karen Markland and other noted American and German artists, and 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, 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.
The museum will also display a small collection of artisan teddy bears in several scales. from August 2008 we will also have some houses on display from the collection of noted miniature plant artisan Georgina Steeds. Coming soon - a four storey Dutch antique shop, Santa's workshop, an Easter shop and a Gothic gatehouse.
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Edward's Bears |
The wizards' academy |
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Pas de Chat |
Farmhouse kitchen |
