Great links for the Tudor dolls' house

These are some of the sites and books that have been of interest or inspiration for me as I learn about creating dollhouses for the medieval or tudor period.  Not surprisingly, most of the sites I've visited have been from the UK.  I will update this post as I find more links.

DIY Sites

Decorating a Tudor Kitchen

Malcolm's Miniatures -- this UK artisan sells impress molds which will allow the miniaturist to produce scale sheets of brickwork, stone, roof slates and other useful surface treatments from air dry clay.

Richard Stacey (UK) sells everything you need for miniature brick and stone work.

Dovetails (UK) makes miniature fireplace surrounds, ceiling roses and other plasterwork for different periods, including the very hard to find classic Tudor fireplace.  Reasonable prices, too.

Town and Country Planner (UK) sells a wide range of roof and floor tiles as well as garden pavers and hanging signs -- lovely looking work.  

Pure Inspiration

Gothic/Horror/Castle Doll House -- this is Teresa Thompson's extraordinary doll house, over whose photos I regularly drool :)  She is a doll maker and costumer in 1:8 and 1:12 scale from the UK.

English Tudor Dollhouse:  Wonderful photos of this tudor dollhouse as it is built and furnished by its owner, Wayne Kaaz of Colorado, USA.

Winkhurst Farm Tudor Kitchen:  detailed photos of this reconstruction of a Tudor kitchen at Winkhurst Farm in West Sussex in the UK. Highly recommended if you're doing any kind of medieval, Tudor, rustic or witch's kitchen.

Peppercorn Miniatures:  scroll down the page to the "Tudor Rose" roombox.  This is one of the most perfect collections of Tudor miniatures I've ever seen.

Lesley's Garden -- List of Historical Plants:  very useful list of what plants are appropriate for what periods.  Lesley also makes wonderful kits!


Miniature Artisans

There are many extraordinary artists and artisans working in 1/12 scale and producing items for Tudor or medieval themed dollhouses.  Here are a few whose sites I've visited, and whose work I admire.

Ray Storey, Lighting:  UK artisan Ray Storey makes perfect period lighting, including some lovely (and hard to find) black chandeliers and lanterns.  Highly recommended.

Pear Tree Miniatures:  UK artisan Barbara Moore's site is a great starting point for research and inspiration.  She shares links to reference sources as well as showing examples of her own excellent work in 1/12 and 1/24 scale heavily-carved furniture. She also makes and sells reasonably priced period books, which can be very difficult to find.

Vic Newey:  UK dolls house maker, with a special interest in Tudor buildings.  Gorgeous work.

Tony Knott, Miniaturist: Another UK artisan, who produces 1:12 scale metal work, furniture and roomboxes, all constructed with meticulous attention to detail.  This is superb, inspirational work, and his smaller metal pieces in pewter are surprisingly affordable.

Willow Models:  UK model maker Martin Pearce makes a wonderful range of items suitable for this period, including furniture, houses, fire grates, spits and pewter plates in both new and old finishes.  Really nice stuff and reasonably priced. Some half and quarter scale items, too.

Sue Dix:  a potter from Chicago, IL in the United States, Sue makes a range of really lovely and affordable 1:12 scale pots and jugs with brown or blue glazes perfect for this period.  She sells under the name Suramics Pottery on Etsy.

Lilliput Miniatures: an Australian maker of Tudor and medieval furniture and accessories, some available in small scales.  These look great! IGMA Artisan.

Linda's Dolls House -- her Tudor dining room is incredible :)

Small Scale Miniatures and the Village Wheelwright:  (UK) 1:12 scale ironmongery, fire and cooking implements, tudor furniture and lighting.

Sussex Crafts:  (UK) 1:12 scale ironmongery with fabulous pieces for this period.

Ann High's carved and painted furniture -- medieval, Tudor and Stuart pieces carved in superb detail in 1/12 and 1/24 scale by this great UK artist.

Herdwick Landscapes -- makers of 1:24 scale houses, also 1:12 and 1:24 scale fires, grates, lighting fixtures and furniture.  Some great pieces for this period.

Sue and Alan's Little Treasures -- these UK artisans make and sell wonderful 1/12 scale historical miniatures, specializing in the Tudor period.  Need a 1/12 cart? A bespoke house? (the photo of the Tudor dollhouse above is from their site).

Old Charm Miniatures -- another great UK site with handcrafted period pieces including fireplaces (see below for an example) and Tudor lighting (they also have offerings for the 1/12 scale church and pub.

Jill Bennett's art dolls -- here are examples of her wonderful dolls in Tudor dress.

Medieval and Tudor food by Carol Cook

Lins Minis -- miniature feathered pheasants and ducks, perfect for the Tudor kitchen

Country Contrast -- UK food miniatures including a fine range of Tudor foodstuffs, featuring roast peacock, manchet and a boar's head.

Costume Cavalcade -- UK miniature doll artist Teresa Thompson's incredible historical dolls and costumes are here (see photo below)

Ashwood Designs Miniature Furniture:  Nothing but handcrafted Tudor miniatures here -- many extraordinary items, too, including a set of virginals and some amazing period light fixtures, all remarkably reasonably-priced, too.

Romney Miniatures:  Oh, how I want to go shopping here!  This UK site sells nothing but handcrafted miniatures suitable for Tudor and some medieval settings.  A great source for fires, firebacks, real clay chimney pots, ironmongery, beautiful floor and roof tiles and more.

The Linen Press, miniature textiles and paperwork:  Another UK site, this one featuring handmade and sometimes hand embroidered miniature quilts, bedspreads and cushions appropriate to dolls houses from Tudor to early 20th century.  It also has some interesting printed materials for most periods.


Kris Compas, an American artisan who makes upholstered chairs, settees and sofas.  She is creative and interested in trying new things, and I can highly recommend her!

Forget-Me-Not Miniatures:  This UK couple make some lovely Tudor items.

Turnings in Miniature:  Thomas Saunders makes wonderful turned bowls, vases and stands out of wood and stone and sells them through his Etsy shop!

Glenda Howell of Peppercorn Miniatures in New Zealand makes rush mats, baskets and potion bottles suitable for this period -- the workmanship is superb.  Her Etsy user name is undancey.

Books

Amazon reading list: Furnishing a Medieval/Tudor Dollhouse


These are all books I own and recommend:


Simple country furniture projects in 1/12 scale -- excellent range of simple, clearly described projects, many of which are suitable for a Tudor dollhouse

Making dolls house miniatures with polymer clay -- a book by English artisan Sue Heaser and one of the first books on miniatures I bought.  Superb directions for a range of projects, and a great introduction to polymer clay miniatures

Making miniature dolls with polymer clay -- another book by Heaser.  First rate instructions for making 1/12 scale, poseable dolls and costuming them in a variety of periods, including Tudor.  Highly recommended.

Food displays by Sue Heaser -- part of the Dolls House Do-It-Yourself series.  Another wonderful book by Heaser, with specific "suites" of foods for Tudor, Georgian and Victorian settings.  Includes Tudor roast pig on a spit (with instructions for making the spit and the andirons), garlanded boar's head and Tudor sweets.  Also includes instructions for making Tudor trenchers and knives.  Highly recommended and well worth tracking down.

Making Tudor dolls' houses by Derek Rowbottom.  A wonderful book with plans for several dolls houses and detailed information about specific projects from fireplaces to beaming and panelling to lighting (although I found the lighting information not so very useful, because the dolls house world has moved to 12v systems since this book was written).  A very good book, inspirational and practical.

The authentic Tudor and Stuart dolls' house by Brian Long.  A brilliant, in-depth source book for period details of all kinds, plus some yummy projects.  Very inspirational and highly recommended.

Celtic, medieval and Tudor wallhangings in 1/12 scale needlepoint by Sandra Whitehead -- this UK artisan's first book has instructions and patterns for a variety of projects in dollhouse scale.  I'm working my way through it, and enjoy it immensely.  You can also visit her website to buy patterns or kits individually.