Dolls' Houses Past & Present

I have received a query from Heather, who asks:

"I wonder if anyone who was at the Newbury sale on March 27 and 28 2018 knows who bought Lot 496 Lines House No 70 for £50.

This house was owned by Sheila and Cyril Cox who I met 20 years ago and with whom I was in touch every year afterwards, they having promised that when they came to sell it, I would have first refusal. In fact this house was a childhood treasure, belonged to my mother in law, I wrote a children’s book about it and it was stolen from me when about to be on display at Bologna Book Fair. I am pretty certain Mr Cox had the same house.

His daughter rang me in January to say he had died and she’d be in touch about the house but then to my horror I saw it had been sold at Newbury, and I had no prior warning. It really has been heartbreaking, I asked SAS Auctions to help, and I believe they’ve forwarded my email appealing to the new owner to allow me to buy it back but there has been no response. I wrote about 4 weeks ago.

This little house meant the world to my husband and I. We lost our son not long ago and he used to help us by making furniture for it. The house was so loved, and to have waited patiently for over 20 years with the promise of first refusal to buy it, and then to have lost it, is shattering.

Please, can anyone help us locate the new owner with the desperate hope of getting it back? Thank you so much for reading this, we are just SO desperate."

I see that it was completely refurbished so may not be as you had it originally, but wish you luck in your search. Unfortunatly since so many houses were up for sale, as a result prices in many cases were incredibly low, so were being snapped up by dealers and being re-sold within a week of the sale so whomever bought it at the auction may not now own it.

This is so sad, I hope Heather finds the new owner and can buy it back.

I'm slightly confused - was the Cox house the actual house that had been stolen or was it just another 70? I heard the radio programme today, and assumed that it was just the same model, maybe I am wrong?

Heather believes that the Coxes owned the actual house which she had owned, and which had been stolen when she was about to display it in Bologna. The Coxes bought it in good faith, and Heather was glad that she knew where it was, and that she had first refusal when they came to sell it. However, sometime between January, when Heather was contacted by the Coxes' daughter, and March when it was sold, this particular house was not kept separate from the others for Heather to buy, and when it was collected for auction with all the others, Heather was not told when or where it was to be sold, so did not have an opportunity to bid on it at the auction.

So she is trying to find the current owner of this actual G & J Lines No 70, which was sold at the SAS auction in March, as she would like to buy it from whoever that is.

Thank you for clarifying that, Rebecca.  Importing stolen dolls' houses....! A crime that I have never thought likely, but these days anything happens. I am wondering if it was sold to someone who was going to sell on, and it may have passed through quite a few hands now since March. It is collectors who form the main audience of DHP&P so the message may not have resched the current owner. I would love to know more about Heather's books and cards.

My husband was telling me he heard this on the radio and its so sad ,he was at the auction and this house came up about 100 or so before my triang caravan ,he told me it was not very busy and by the end the prices where so low ,I hope Heather finds this house as we all  understand how much we love our dollhouses

I can't post new forums or see any photos now, from a couple of days ago. but I can still see this.thread Has this happened to anyone else?

Yes, sadly, Sal, this is widespread. Being unable to post new Forum topics has been an ongoing problem for a number of people for some time. The inability to open the Photo Gallery has happened before, but this latest blackout started two days ago, and continues. I'm now really fearful that we've lost our archive.

Brooksey at September 16, 2018 at 5:52 PM

Yes, sadly, Sal, this is widespread. Being unable to post new Forum topics has been an ongoing problem for a number of people for some time. The inability to open the Photo Gallery has happened before, but this latest blackout started two days ago, and continues. I'm now really fearful that we've lost our archive.

Oh gosh I hope not, after all your hard work. It must be out there somewhere.

To go back to the original topic here, I have just received this message from Heather:

To clarify, after the SATURDAY LIVE BBC prog this week, I don’t believe the Cox’s house is the one in our family since 1915, ours was stolen in Bologna, it was in a large TV box, I think the thieves went after that, then must have opened it and groaned to find a dolls house, although beautiful and full of little model mice in wedding clothes, as illustrated in my books (see www.georgeandmatildamouse.co.uk, and for really clear pic and explanation see Facebook page for Olly’s Friendship Foundation).

I did the BBC prog partly cos it was Suicide Prevention week last week and our son died this way due to AKATHISIA and doctors we work with felt we must warn people, so if you look on that Olly site, you can find out how, and thus save many from suicides.

I long to find and buy Mr Cox’s house because I agreed with him that I’d never change it from what he did, but I’d make a replica of the adapted mouse house seen in my books, and display then in our children’s centre side by side. Thank you everyone SO much for your lovely comments. I will keep you updated!

Thanks again, from Heather S. Buchanan