Saturday, August 8, 2009

Lines DH/C ca 1924

My latest dolls house arrived today. It popped up on Australian ebay a couple of weeks ago. It was listed as pick-up only in Melbourne, but thankfully the seller was happy to pack it for collection by a freight company. It's a house in the same series as the DH/D which I am restoring (slowly), and of the same vintage. The series of Lines Bros houses named DH/A, B , C, D, etc, appears in catalogues from both 1921 and 1924, with slight differences. Both my DH/D and this DH/C are from 1924 on.


This DH/C has also been overpainted inside and out. It's missing its chimneys and shutters from the outside, and the fireplaces, wall- and floor-papers and window glass from the inside. But apart from that it's in pretty good shape.
A previous owner has put up two partitions in the upper room, creating three small spaces, and attached a homemade fireplace to the wall downstairs. I was hoping to use this house as a cottage hospital, and in fact the interior is perfect for that. So I will keep the dividing walls upstairs, and the green paint and flooring, which look very institutional!


(A stained wooden shelf had been attached upstairs - I've removed it, as you can see from the line of yellow paint, as it was at the wrong height for the hospital beds.)

The curtains are not the original ones, but are also very appropriate for a hospital.


Underneath the curtains, you can see evidence of several repaintings - first cream, then green, then red!

I hope to have the hospital set up very soon, as I already have the beds, the staff and the patients! I'm not sure whether to try any restoration of the front of this house - especially as I haven't finished the DH/D yet! Perhaps I'll just remove the paint from the lion knocker and the letters sign.

11 comments:

  1. the flooring looks institutional! I agree. That's so funny.
    A hospital is a great idea. There is a Playmobil Hospital I love, but I'm glad it isn't in the right scale.
    I'm looking forward to what you are doing with this house. I like the red and white colour, but not on the lion locker, that's true.

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  2. A very nice idea to use this for a hospital, I like the floor too and agree it will suit the purpose. I'm looking forward to see the progress and end result!
    Arne Vaa and Karl Edo wondered if there will be any chance for getting hip replacement in this hospital, they're not longer as hip as they were when younger.

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  3. Hi Rebecca
    it certainly looks suitable for a hospital, a great idea & a project I have wanted to do in the past (I even had the beds for a while).. but never found the right building....I look forward to seeing how the project progresses.
    Lizzie

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  4. Lucky You, who find that dold dollhouse!
    I just love your dolls!

    Lena!

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  5. Thank you all for your comments. If anyone is familiar with cottage hospitals of the 50s and 60s, I'd love some ideas. And I've realised I don't have many supplies, so now I'm looking for some.
    helene, I am very sorry to disappoint Arne Vaa and Karl Edo, but I don't think this little hospital will have the facilities for such major surgery. In fact, I'm not even sure that the doctor and nurses could define hip. So I think they'd be safer finding a more modern, with-it hospital!

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  6. Lovely house, Rebecca, looking forward to seeing it furnished :-)

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  7. Dear Memo, do you mean my others don't? I admit the ones without external walls need some imagination!

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  8. Looking forward to seeing your cottage hospital! It's a lovely little house! Dr Trevelyan will be opening a doctor's surgery in my Amersham house shortly. Maybe he should send his patients to your hospital. The idea of a wonderful trip 'down under' would be enough to sort them out!

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  9. I have just bought this wonderful traing dolls house DH/C, also with no balcony. It is in good shape, but missing its upstairs fireplace. I have Britains model plastic hospital figures in two Mettoy toy hospiatals, which works beautifully. I have an operating room, a maternity unit, wards and a garden for the patients to recover in, and it is so lovely. I hope your hospital is still up and running in your lovely little red and white house. Kind regards Jenny

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