TOUR
Photographs of the museum past and present
Room 1
Looking out of room 1 towards the stairs. This room is mainly painted with black gloss a solid if sombre start to the museum.
Room 2
Looking from room 2 to room 3. This is where you leave the Victorian building and enter the older Georgian one. Perhaps with a sense of trepidation or expectation depending on your disposition.
Room 3
Looking into room 3. This room has such a low ceiling and wonky floor that some visitors would begin to feel a bit claustraphobic and disorientated. Perhaps questioning if this place was in fact real.
Room 4
Looking into room 4. The teddy bears and dolls houses in this room would provide some comfort to the visitor before the panic induced by room 5.
Room 5
The dolls room often sited by visitors as the creepiest room in the museum. Scopophobia, a fear of being stared at, is a anxiety disorder not helped by being in this room. But the dolls mean no harm.
Room 6
The toy theatre room as it used to look. The favorite room in the museum and a colourful relief after room 5 if you are stilll here.
Exterior
By the looks of it this is quite an oddly intriguing place. But wait until you get inside.
Entrance
Unique and atmospheric as they come. For some people this was a slice of heaven. A strong antidote to the modern world. For others a dark dickensian hell that should have vanished a long time ago.
The toy shop
The "commercial" side of the enterprise. On a good day it kept us in candles and bread.
Room 1
Looking out of room 1 towards the stairs. You can really see the colour scheme now it's empty.
Room 2
Looking from room 2 to room 3. This is even more red now it's got nothing in. I like red but this is possibly a bit much red.
Room 3
Looking into room 3. This room looks less claustraphobic now just sad. Unfortunately this is really what it looks like now.
Room 4
Looking into room 4. The teddy bears are missed. We hope they are alright locked away in the dark after such a long time at the top of the museum.
Room 5
The dolls are no longer scaring visitors so I guess that's a relief. Although it was quite amusing when grow men would be frightened by a room full of dolls. Human nature is a strange thing.
Room 6
The soul of the museum is now the saddest room in the building. If there are toy theatre ghosts they are hanging out in here. That blue colour though is still lovely contrasted with the pink.
Exterior
Does not look that different but don't venture inside.
Entrance
Still unique and atmospheric but fading away. For some people this was a slice of heaven. A strong antidote to the modern world. For others a dark dickensian hell that should have vanished a long time ago.
The toy shop
Full of stuff but nothing you would want to buy
Stairs
South American toys and stairs leading to room 1
Landing
Board games outside room 1
Stairs
Coming down from room 5 past film and T.V toys
Stairs
Indian toys on stairs leading to the office
Landing
Folk toys at the top of the stairs
Stairs
Stairs on the way down to the shop
Stairs
South American toys gone to the South Pole and stairs leading to room 1
Landing
Board of playing games outside room 1
Stairs
If you were coming down from room 5 in the past you would have gone past film and T.V toys from the past.
Stairs
Indian toys on stairs leading to the office were here. Funny it still looks quite tropical.
Landing
No Folk toys at the top of the stairs perhaps they are in Norfolk?
Stairs
Stairs on the way down to the shop
Hoxton
This is an engraving by Redington of his own shop in Hoxton (latterly becoming Pollock's) It is also scene 8 in the toy theatre play Baron Munchausen.
Hoxton
The same site today.
Hoxton
Plaque at site commemorating Pollock's shop.
