Tucked away from view in the south side of the
gardens of Windsor’s Royal Lodge stands a miniature thatched cottage called Y
Bwthyn Bach, or The Little House. This delightful book published sometime in
the nineteen fifties contains all the pieces necessary to build your own little house.
The house was presented to Princess Elizabeth and her sister
Margaret in March 1932 on behalf of ‘the people of Wales’ on the occasion of
Elizabeth’s sixth birthday. The
princesses spent many hours cleaning their tiny home and Elizabeth developed a
reputation for being very neat and tidy. Over the years, the Queen’s children and
grandchildren have also played in the house, and it has recently been completely
refurbished.
The dining room with white panelled walls a Welsh
dresser with an array of beautiful china and a grandfather clock ticking slowly
in the corner. A picture of the Queen Mother hangs over the mantelpiece and
there is even a bookcase filled with Beatrix Potter’s little books to ensure
the girls never grow bored.
A corner of the garden
No home is complete without a pet (or two)
and a fairy at the bottom of the garden
and a fairy at the bottom of the garden
Ring the front-door bell and step into the sweetest little house you ever saw!
The Royal Family pay a visit the little house c1932.
The back cover of the book showing the finished model.
Complete and in near perfect condition with just slight wear to edges of front cover Queen Elizabeth's Little House contains a build-it-yourself cardboard recreation of Y Bwthyn Bach, The Little House at Royal Lodge. The book is undated, but I assume it was published at the time of the Queens Coronation in 1953. Arthur Groom tells the story of the building and presenting of the little house. Queen Elizabeth's Little House is now sold, thank you for your interest.
Thanks for calling in, I hope you enjoyed visiting the
little house.
Barbara....you have struck a very sweet chord here with me.....first of all, my father built me a sweet little playhouse in our backyard when I was a child. That place was my refuge. In the middle of a very unsettled neighborhood due to the violence of the day in Los Angeles, stood a little pink playhouse, where dreams began. Oh how your post reminds me of those gentle days when daddy hammered away and stuccoed that home...even at that young age, I thought he was a genius for making it look like our real house. What a precious find you share here. You find the best of childrens' books my friend! Much love to you on this very cold Midwestern United States day. Anita
ReplyDeleteDear Anita, thank you so much for sharing such a sweet memory. Your playhouse sounds like every little girls dream, how I wish I had lived next door to you!
DeleteWe’ve been hearing reports of the cold in your part of the world. How quickly the winter has arrived. Lots of love Barbara.
Oh Barbara! This is absolutely lovely!
ReplyDeleteSo wonderful that it's all intact, and aren't the people of Wales a generous bunch. ;)
Have a perfect weekend! x
Hi Yvonne, I never doubted it!
DeleteOur grandson is coming for a visit so it will be a very special weekend. I hope yours is happy. xx
What a gorgeous book, to nice to sell
ReplyDeleteSue xx
Hi Sue, don’t tempt me! I’ve been hiding it at the back of the shelf for a few weeks but Christmas is coming, and I thought it would make a lovely present for someone.
Deletexxx
What a wonderful little book and thank you for sharing it. I would have loved having a book like that when I was young, especially since I was so fond of playing with paper dolls. I wonder is it still at Windsor - in all my visits there, I never heard about it.
ReplyDeleteHello Alex, It amazes me that things like this remain unused. I can only imagine it was put away not to be played with.
DeleteThe Little House was certainly there at the beginning of 2012 because I remember reading an article about Princess Beatrice overseeing a complete refurbishment. It made me laugh because she said the Queen had given strict instructions about what Beatrice could and couldn't do. I imagine it’s tucked away in a corner out of public view because the Royal children still play in it.
How lucky that this is in near perfect condition. A gorgeous book, I loved this type of thing as a girl.
ReplyDeleteI know Tracy I’m just amazed it’s never been played with. I’m itching to sit down and build it!
DeleteThis is just adorable! Thank you for sharing the history of the "little house". What a fabulous find! I'm sure a collector will snatch it up!
ReplyDeleteHi Diane, I probably shouldn't say this, but I rather hope they don’t – that way I can sneak it back onto ‘my’ shelf for a bit longer
DeleteHave a lovely weekend, Barbara.
Oh I would have wanted one of those. I can imagine me crying for days if I didn't get one! LOL
ReplyDeleteMe too Eve!
DeleteI'd love to live in that pretty house! The roof stood out the brightest for me (and it's odd because orange seems to be my least favourite colour, yet how nice it looks here).
ReplyDeleteBarbara, please don't be sorry about sending the card early. I was very happily surprised to receive it. Just by the envelope, I already guessed that it was from you and I couldn't wait to open it! Thanks again. Have a wonderful weekends. xoxo
The roof looks brighter in the in the photo than it really is, it should represent a thatched roof made of straw so should be more yellow.
DeleteI’m so pleased you enjoyed the card. Have a lovely week.
Good morning Barbara! Thank you for coming back here and to my post to comment! Yes, I think that if we knew each other as children, we would have been instant friends. Books, imagination, gentle tea parties that little children should have, and many romps in the garden with our pets would have made for quite a friendship. How I'd give so much to go back to my childhood home, to just take time apart and remember. Thank you for your shares here! And yes, we had quite the cold week, but things are "warming" up to at least the 20F degree range! That is "warm" for us!!!
ReplyDeleteYou've just described everything I liked to do as a child (and still do), no question about it – you would have been my bestest friend :-)
DeleteWhat an adorable book and little house. I was unaware of either of them.
ReplyDeleteAnd that's why sharing is so much fun! Thanks for your visit.
DeleteWhat a sweet book!! I wanted a playhouse when I was little - my parents gave us an old refrigerator box to play house in, LOL. The Queen's little house is simply amazing!! It would be any little girl's dream house!! So safe and cozy.
ReplyDeleteI didn’t have a playhouse, but I did build lots of camps in the woods. Great fun, especially when you have friends to build them with. I’m sure your refrigerator box house was fun too.
DeleteI would think any child would think of this house as a palace!
This is so amazing! It's adorable.
ReplyDeleteThanks Donna, I think so too.
DeleteI love the corgis! There is a whole village in Windsor Great Park, with a gorgeous old post office/general stores. This little house isn't part of it, though.
ReplyDeleteI didn’t know that Sue, l will have to pay a visit next summer. It would make a perfect blog post, thanks for the information.
DeleteThe windows of the shop remind me of your "Come on In" bookshop picture!
DeleteSo they do! Well spotted :-)
DeleteHere is a link to the history of the Windsor Park Village, with a picture of the little shop.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.berkshirehistory.com/villages/village.html
I’ve visited Virginia Water loads of times but had no idea this was just up the road. Amazing! Thank you for the link. Barbara.
DeleteIt's kind of magic;
ReplyDeleteWhen little elves have cut themselves or a mouse has hurt her tail or froggie's arm has come to harm, this herb will never fail.
The fairies skill will cure each ill and sooth the sorest pain.
She'll bath and bind and soon they'll find that they are well again. C.M. Barker. this sum's up my visit to your site, magic! be well agman
Thank you so much Agman, you just left a little bit of magic of your own. I really appreciate your visit and hope life is smiling on you at the moment. Barbara.
DeleteWhat an absolute treasure. I love the vibrant colors on the cover and this tiny house sounds adorable. I never knew it existed- but it sounds like a fun way for the royal children to play. How wonderful that the book comes with a replica. I always had such fun with things like that. :) Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteIt really is a very special little book, and the playhouse at Windsor must be even more special. Thanks so much for your visit.
DeleteOh I could live in this blog post Barbara, I really could. This has to be one of my favorites of yours, but that is hard to confirm because I love SO many of your shares!
ReplyDeleteAnd thank you kindly for visiting. I miss my mum and dad, and without them and my aunts and uncle, Thanksgiving is TOO quiet....they were the life of our parties, but they sure showed us how to celebrate. The legacy lives on....
Be well my friend! Happy week, Anita
Dear Anita, please step inside and sit a while, the little house loves visitors!
DeleteI understand exactly how you feel about the loss of family. It's lucky we have such wonderful memories to sustain us.
Happy Thanksgiving Anita I hope you have a wonderful day. xx
Beautiful post Barbara ! And what a delightful lovely little book ! To live in such a sweet house and play all the tidying up games ... Thanks for the beautiful share Barbara :)
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Kokila, I’m so pleased you enjoyed this share. Have a happy day. Barbara.
DeleteDearest Barbara! Good morning on this snowy Thanksgiving day here in the USA! Thank you for your greeting my friend. My turkey will be prepared this morning then slowly cooked to perfection all day long!
ReplyDeleteMany thanks for YOUR creative and generous friendship! HAPPY DAY! Anita
Have a wonderful day Anita. xx
DeleteSo charming. The cover caught my eye, and I like the style of the illustrations. I also like the image of the royal family you provided - particularly the future Queen Elizabeth's direct look (and her dress reminds me a little of the Wizard of Oz).
ReplyDeleteI'm so pleased you enjoyed it, thank you for calling in and leaving a comment. Barbara.
ReplyDeleteHello I am from Australia and I also have this book. I am wondering who could help me work out the value of it. Mine is not in the excellent condition yours was however it is complete with no torn pages. My email is bjanke11@bigpond.net.au if anyone can help. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteHi there, thanks for your comment I will email you with my reply. Best wishes, Barbara
Delete