Model homes and shops

Inspired by a recent trip to the British Folk Art exhibition at Tate Britain, these are some photos of model shops in the children's display in the Old House Museum. There are also a couple of images of models of the Old House and its lath and plaster inner wall. None of these were ever children's playthings in the sense of dolls' houses or miniature shops nowadays. The model shops were often used as part of a window display, especially where the goods sold were perishable, and had to be removed from the window at night.The butcher's shop is a typical example, and the Folk Art exhibition included life size painted plaster models of cuts of meat, including hams and lamb cutlets rather than the miniature examples you can see here.