Queen Mary's Giant Dollhouse on Centenary Display at Windsor Castle

The world's largest dollhouse, built for Queen Mary (1867-1953) between 1921 and 1924, is now the centerpiece of a special centenary exhibition at Windsor Castle throughout 2024. The miniature Edwardian mansion, designed by architect Edwin Lutyens at a 1:12 scale, stands 1.5 meters tall and features working electricity, running water, and functional elevators. Over 1,500 artists and craftsmen contributed to its creation, including 250 artisans, 60 decorators, 700 artists, and 600 authors. The dollhouse contains hundreds of objects: miniature books handwritten by authors like Arthur Conan Doyle (who wrote a new Sherlock Holmes story) and Thomas Hardy, a working piano, a functioning Singer sewing machine, an early Hoover vacuum cleaner, replica Crown Jewels, and a fully stocked wine cellar with over 1,200 bottles filled with a dropper. Notably, no dolls were ever placed inside. The exhibition, curated by Kathryn Jones (tickets £33), also features twenty new miniature books commissioned by Queen Camilla from contemporary authors. Meanwhile, Buckingham Palace's Centre Room has opened to the public for the first time in 175 years, following King Charles III's initiative. The east wing renovation, completed after five years of work, allows visitors inside the room (tickets £75, already sold out) until September 29, with potential permanent access from 2025.