Tucked away from public view in the south side of the gardens of Windsor’s Royal Lodge is the refurbished miniature thatched, white-washed cottage described by the Queen’s granddaughter Princess Beatrice as ‘the most glamorous Wendy house ever’.
In 2012 Princess Beatrice oversaw 'The Little House''s refurbishment over the course of a year, including adding flowers and patterns according to the Queen's wishes. The refurbishment is believed to have been paid for by her father, the Duke of York, who has resided at Royal Lodge since 2004.
Princess Beatrice was especially captivated by the pint-sized house as a child and she added a selection of her own teddy-bears to the living room arm chair.
The kitchen features a replica gas stove with sparkling pots and pans beside a washing machine, mangle and apron.
Young Princess Elizabeth at 'Y Bwthyn Bach' or 'The Little House', situated in the garden of the Royal Lodge, Windsor Great Park, Berkshire in 1932.
Young Princess Elizabeth at 'Y Bwthyn Bach' or 'The Little House', situated in the garden of the Royal Lodge, Windsor Great Park, Berkshire in 1932.
Young Princess Elizabeth playing with a doll in a pram outside The Little House in 1932.
June 1936: Princess Margaret (left) and her sister Princess Elizabeth in front of miniature cottage 'Y Bwthyn Bach' ('The Little House') in the grounds of Royal Lodge, Windsor with two of their dogs.
June 1936: Princess Elizabeth with her dogs at a window of 'Y Bwthyn Bach' ('The Little House').
King George VI with his wife and daughters and their pet dogs outside 'Y Bwthyn Bach' ('The Little House'), Windsor in 1936. Queen Elizabeth is looking out of the window, Princess Elizabeth is standing by the window and Princess Margaret is seated on the wall.
Young Princess Elizabeth with sister Margaret (left) outside her Wendy house, gifted by the people of Wales for her sixth birthday in March 1932
Princess Elizabeth (to become Queen Elizabeth II) and Princess Margaret (left) as children by the sun dial in the 'grounds' of the model house seen in 1932 after it was gifted to the young royal for her sixth birthday by 'the people of Wales'.
Princess Elizabeth (to become Queen Elizabeth II) and Princess Margaret (left) as children by the sun dial in the 'grounds' of the model house seen in 1932 after it was gifted to the young royal for her sixth birthday by 'the people of Wales'.
'Y Bwthyn Bach' ('The Little House' in Welsh) being built in 1932 after being designed by architect Edmund Willmott
2nd April 1932: Finishing the thatching on a little cottage to be presented to Princess Elizabeth from the people of Wales. The architect Morgan Willmott congratulates Oscar David one of three brothers who thatched the cottage.
The front door opens onto a small hallway with a kitchen to the right and the ‘siamber fach’, or Little Chamber, on the left. A staircase gives access to a bedroom and a bathroom, which, when it was first built, was very modern, with hot and cold running water, a heated towel rail and electricity.
'Y Bwthyn Bach' ('The Little House' in Welsh) being built in 1932 after being designed by architect Edmund Willmott
Incredible images have surfaced showing a young Princess Elizabeth playing outside her Wendy house with sister Margaret in the 1930s.
The opulent miniature house, entitled 'Y Bwthyn Bach' ('The Little House' in Welsh), was gifted to the future queen on behalf of 'the people of Wales' on Elizabeth's sixth birthday in 1932.
At the time the keys were handed over to her mother, the Duchess of York, and the black and white archive pictures show the then Princess Elizabeth and her sister Margaret posing outside the little house.
The two-thirds size cottage, which measures 24 feet long, eight feet deep and with five feet high rooms was moved to the grounds of the Royal Lodge of Windsor - where it remains to this day - after it was designed by architect Edmund Willmott.
The contents included a tiny radio, a little oak dresser and a miniature blue and gold china set. There was linen with the initial ‘E’ and a portrait of the Queen’s mother, the Duchess of York, hanging over the dining room mantelpiece.
The cottage's bathroom, when it was first built, was very modern with hot and cold running water, a heated towel rail and electricity.
Even boasting its own doorbell and doormat with a sign above the door reading 'Y Bwthyn Bach' ('The Little House' in Welsh), the princesses were said to spend many hours playing in and cleaning and tidying their tiny home, with Elizabeth in particular developing a reputation for being exceptionally neat.
The life-size doll house was intended as a symbol of the love and fascination of the Welsh people for the little princess who was, at that stage, never expected to become Queen.
It has since been refurbished and passed down the generations of royal children. It has been a play den for the Queen and subsequent generations of her family for the past 80 years - with Harry and Meghan's future children expected to play in it.
Login
2252 Views Share:
