Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
This rickety old house, with glass cases filled with toys and games lining its walls and
halls, is a time-warp experience that brings back childhood memories to people who grew
up without batteries or computer chips. It also gives a sense of the history of childhood
itself, starting from when “childhood” as we know it now first came to be. Though the
museum is small, you could spend a lot of time here, squinting at the fascinating toys and
well-loved dolls that entertained the children of 19th- and early 20th-century England.
The included information is great. The story of Theodore Roosevelt refusing to shoot
a bear cub while on a hunting trip was celebrated in 1902 cartoons, resulting in a new,
huggable toy: the Teddy Bear. It was popular for good reason: It could be manufactured
during World War I without rationed products; it coincided with the new belief that soft
toys were good for a child's development; it was an acceptable “doll for boys”; and it was
the
toy children kept long after they'd grown up.
Cost and Hours:
£
6, kids-
£
3, Mon-Sat 10:00-17:00, closed Sun, last entry 30
minutes before closing, 1 Scala Street, Tube: Goodge Street, tel. 020/7636-3452,
www.pollockstoymuseum.com
.
A fun retro toy shop is attached.
London's city center is surprisingly devoid of sights associated with the famous '60s rock
