Spalding’s Christine Meggitt to display 100-year-old Queen Mary’s Doll House at the Miniatura event
An exhibitor who owns hundreds of dolls houses is preparing to show off one of her cherished displays - to mark a ‘big anniversary’.
Fans have previously travelled from as far as Belgium just to see the lovingly-crafted miniature homes belonging to Spalding’s Christine Meggitt, also known as Kit.
And this month even more lovers of small worlds will get the chance to see her stunning 100-year-old Queen Mary’s Doll House at the Miniatura event on March 15 and 16.
“It’s been in storage for 10 years and when I took it out I suddenly realised it was made in 1925 - it’s a big anniversary for her,” said Kit, who has been exhibiting at the event twice a year for the past two decades.
“She’s going with several of her cousins, all made by (former British toy manufacturer) Triang.
“We’re representing South Holland. I’ll have lots of miniature flowers on my stall as well to decorate it.”
Held at Coventry’s Stoneleigh National Agricultural and Exhibition Centre, the Miniatura event attracts thousands of visitors, both collectors and craftspeople.
Kit describes the dolls houses as her ‘passion, and her home is filled with more than 100 large and 200 small ones.
“I keep saying I live in heaven as I’m surrounded by dolls houses. Other people say it’s hell, because I’m actually surrounded by boxes with dolls houses in,” she joked.
“It’s been a passion of mine from being six.
“I kind of grew out of it and then got back into it in my 40s, so for the last 30 years.”
While miniature exhibitions have changed over recent years - which fantasy and dragon elements now joining the more traditional displays such as dolls houses and model railways - Kit loves the friendships created within the community.
“I had somebody come from Belgium to see me as he’d seen a feature on TikTok and wanted to meet the ‘happy, smiley lady’,” she added.
“It’s a nice community for all ages.”
However, self-professed technophobe Kit - who doesn’t own a television or ‘do screens’ - won’t be putting out any social media content of her own any time soon, opting to spend her days helping out with volunteer work and working on her dolls houses.
“It started off doing Queen Elizabeth dolls houses,” she explained.
“It’s a terrace of the Elizabethan era, every house being a decade.
“It’s not been finished, there’s never time.”
Have you got a story to share? Email news@lincsonline.co.uk