Northampton charity shop seeks valuation advice after 6ft tall dolls house donated

The dolls houses have been on display now for nearly two weeks and are awaiting a valuation.

The Salvation Army Superstore in Abington Street has been given three amazing dolls houses.

One house, which is on display in the shop window, measures 6ft by 6ft while standing on its base, and has 16 fully furnished and decorated rooms.

The three dolls houses were built by Tony Ward and furnished by his late wife, and dolls house enthusiast, Maureen.

Each room of the 6ft by 6ft dolls house comes fully equipped with tiny furniture.

Tony, 75, of West Hunsbury took two years to build the giant dolls house, currently on display at the Salvation Army Superstore, and it became a pass time for him and his wife when they both retired.

Tony would build the houses and Maureen - a former seamstress - would decorate and fully furnish them.

Between them they completed six dolls houses in eight years.

Tony said the giant dolls house took him two-and-a-half-years to build while the smaller houses, with fully functioning electrics, took a year or less.

The houses should all be valued by the end of the month, the shop boss said.

He said: "It was her hobby and she was very skilled.

"She used to be a seamstress but when she retired she turned to dolls houses."

To decorate the biggest house - which measures 6ft by 6ft - he said it took "over all the best part of a year because you have skirting boards and door frames to put in and they have to be painted specific colours."

The shop is awaiting to price the six houses following valuation talks with a specialist dealer next week before they chose whether to go ahead and sell them.

Chris Brian store manager at the Salvation Army Superstore said: "We were gobsmacked.

"We knew we were going to pick up some dolls houses and they said 'you are going to need four people to lift it'."

"I'm quite surprised. It's not an object that you usually see in a charity shop. They're quite unique pieces."