Come in and Play

Pollock's toy museum really is a gem.  Housed in two historic buildings the collection of mostly Victorian toys, toy soldiers, dolls and teddybears, was started in the 1960's. The museum continues to be run by the grandson of the founderMarguerite Fawdry. 

Cabaret Mechanical Theatre

One of the joys of London is finding the most wonderful and quirky events.
Cabaret Mechanical Theatre is one of my best finds. See a man who eats his own weight in spaghetti in the bath, a monkey rowing a banana, a performing circus and dozens of others.

Fun from another era, beautifully preserved. The best bit is that you can play with them. Push the buttons and watch them perform. I loved the drinking woman above. Sums up just how I felt by the time I finished the accounts yesterday.

Best news is that you can see them and push the buttons yourselves. Showing at Space Station 65 in East Dulwich until 7 September.

Museum of Childhood

Not just for children. The museum of childhood shows so much about the lives of those growing up in earlier periods. Grand doll's houses, puppets, games. Do you know what a zoetrope is? Children's clothing and cots. They've certainly changed a lot.
Rocking horses from several centuries, beginning with a wooden horse believed to have belonged to Charles I in 1610.

Boys and their Toys

Yes I know girls can make models and play with trucks and trains. However the Magic of Meccano show over the weekend was a boys club. Girls filled the role of long suffering supporters.
Boys delighted in showing you (even if a girl) the fruits of their labours. Some taking 12 years or more to complete. These boys had very impressive models of famous bridges, power stations, pump houses, working cranes, ship, boats planes. You name it they had created the replica working model.

Meccano they tell us is the toy that grows with the boy, proven by the average age of most exhibitors, (somewhere past retirement).

Lost Rabbit

No-one seems to notice the lost rabbit. I guess it will be a different story at bed-time in one household.