Handmade 1940s Doll’s House

This charming, handmade doll’s house is one of the more overlooked treasures in Carmarthenshire Museum. Made in the 1940s by Edwin Hughes for his sister‑in‑law, it reflects the creativity and imagination of the wartime home front.

During the Second World War, many toy manufacturers were turned over to wartime production, making everything from equipment to munitions. With new toys in short supply, families embraced the wartime spirit of “make do and mend”, crafting their own playthings from whatever materials were available. This doll’s house is an excellent example of that inventiveness.

Skillfully built from wood and painted with great care, the house features hinged panels on both the front and back, allowing it to open fully. Inside, a series of rooms are decorated with miniature handmade furniture and wonderfully detailed touches, such as mock patterned carpets, lino floors, and fittings inspired by real homes of the era.

Wartime life is reflected throughout the model. Just as many toys of the period represented the world around children - planes, tanks, and soldiers - this doll’s house includes realistic details such as blackout blinds and taped windows. Blackouts were essential for safety: households had to cover all windows and doors to prevent even the smallest glimmer of light from guiding enemy aircraft during night‑time bombing raids. Air Raid Wardens patrolled the streets to ensure everyone complied.

The risk of shattered glass from bomb blasts meant families often protected their windows with tape or netting. While crossed tape became common, official advice favoured netting as the safer option.

Carmarthenshire avoided the worst of the bombing seen in nearby Swansea. However, the county did experience occasional raids, often when bombers missed their intended targets or dumped leftover explosives on their return to mainland Europe. Pembrey, now home to a popular country park, was the site of a Royal Ordnance Factory that suffered significant damage from a raid in July 1940, which resulted in 11 deaths. Stories survive of Carmarthenshire residents recalling the eerie glow of Swansea’s fires lighting the night sky during the Blitz of February 1941.

Against this backdrop, it’s remarkable that this delicate doll’s house survived the war at all. Today, it stands not just as a handmade toy, but as a quiet storyteller - capturing the resilience, creativity, and everyday realities of life on the home front during the Second World War.