| Peter Leatherbarrow |
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Anyone else remember the Dol-Toi factory in West Street, in about the mid to late 1950's. I'm too young but I remember my Mum was a fund raiser for the RSPCA and Dol-Toi gave her some of the doll's house wooden furniture they made, so she could sell them at fund raising bazaars in Stamford.
( I always thought the RSPCA Inspector's name was funny, Mr Goodenough).
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| Roger Partridge |
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I remember Dol-Toi in Uffington Road, a brick building which is now occupied by a car dealer, but don't remember them in West St. I think the company was run by Mr C W P Ibbotson who lived in Bainton.
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| Martin Hardingham |
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My father, Louis Hardingham, owned the sports and toy shop in Ironmonger Street. I well remember him buying Dol-Toi products for the shop when the company was in its infancy. In those days, the late 40s, production was on a cottage scale in West Street and as it grew the factory moved to Uffington Road. I also remember in order to earn some pocket money, in my early teens, I helped Mr Ibotson produce some of the Dol-Toi furniture.
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| Jill |
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There's lots of references to dol-toi on google images. We had lots of familiar dolls house items in nurseries in s. London which I would say were made by dol-toi. They must have been quite unique in their time pre the plastic revolution after the 70s.
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| Chris Scott (Freear) |
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Dol-Toi operated from St Leonard's Street, Stamford, prior to moving to The Uffington Road site. It was owned and run by a Mr & Mrs Ibotson, their son Tony took over when they retired and it was for him I worked in the late 60,s early 70's, producing drawings of the individual pieces of furniture etc. Prior to having a drawing, the machine operators were given a piece of assembled furniture to copy, which resulted in quite a lot of variation between what we're supposed to be identical items. I worked from home and still have the letter from Tony offering me this work at the grand sun of £1.50 an hour........it was quite generous then.
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| Peter Leatherbarrow |
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Thanks Chris, and everyone else.
That must have been fiddly and precise work.
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| Tim Mytton |
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I remember Dol Toi very well and have so wonderful memories of the place. I got a job there after leaving Fane school in the June and before I started an apprenticeship at Blackstones in the August. I used to cut the timber bits for the dolls furniture before they went to assembly. I was sat next to Sandra Ward who had and still has the most brilliant sense of humour. I nearly cut off my thumb on the table saw. I remember one day I was asked to get rid of and burn all the scrap plastic off cuts from the blister packaging. It was a job I used to do every now and then. This day it was getting near to home time and not wanting to be hanging about tending to a bonfire i decided to chuck the lot on the fire all in one go. The thick black acrid smoke billowed high into the sky. It looked awesome, then without warning the black smoke ignited into a bright ball of fierce hot flames. I looked on in horror as the flames were getting rather close to the wooden open ended shed where the timber was stored to make the furniture. The manager saw what was happening and rushed out and asked me what the hell i was playing at. I think his name was either John Evitt or John Trousdale. he proceeded to try and rake the fire out so it wasnt as high but the flames were too much. He then managed to get hold of a hose pipe and sprayed the fire to dampen it down. The smoke and steam filled the sky for ages before it was all under control. They never asked me again. Oh happy days
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| roger hardingham |
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My uncle Martin worked there for a while before he went on to college I think. I see the Uffington building has just been demolished!
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