{{Short description|Museum in London, England}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2025}} {{Use British English|date=March 2014}} {{Coord|51|31|13|N|0|8|7|W|type:landmark_region:GB|display=title}}
[[File:Pollock's Toy Museum, Scala Street W1 - geograph.org.uk - 1568357.jpg|thumb|Pollock's Toy Museum earlier premises on Scala Street]] '''Pollock's Toy Museum''' is a small museum which is based across two sites in London, England: the Whitgift Centre in Croydon and at Leadenhall Market.<ref name="pollocks">{{cite web|url=https://www.pollockstoymuseum.co.uk|title=Welcome to Pollock's Toy Museum|website=pollockstoymuseum.co.uk|accessdate=22 February 2024}}</ref>
== History == [[File:Pollock's Toy Museum 波洛克玩具博物館 (4355198521).jpg|thumb|A display of dolls]] The museum is named for Benjamin Pollock, a publisher of Victorian toy theatres. After Pollock's death in 1937, Alan Keen purchased his remaining stock to continue the business, relaunching in 1946. However, Keen went bankrupt by 1951. Marguerite Fawdry wished to purchase some pieces for her son's toy theatre, and finding Keen's business closed, purchased his entire stock, which led to her using this as the foundation for Pollock's Toy Museum.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The History of Pollock's Toy Museum |url=https://www.pollockstoymuseum.co.uk/about-us/the-history-of-pollocks-toy-museum/ |access-date=16 July 2025 |website=Pollock's Toy Museum |language=en-GB}}</ref>
The museum was started in 1956 in a single attic room at 44 Monmouth Street, near Covent Garden. As the enterprise flourished, other rooms were taken over for the museum and the ground floor became a toyshop. By 1969 the collection had outgrown the Monmouth Street premises and Pollock's Toy Museum moved to 1 Scala Street, with a museum shop on the ground floor to contribute to its support. The museum had vintage teddies, dolls' houses, rocking horses, miniature theatres, electric train sets and antique models on display.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Spectacular sights we lost in recent years {{!}} loveexploring.com |url=https://www.loveexploring.com/galleries/161898/spectacular-sights-we-lost-in-recent-years?page=1 |access-date=16 July 2025}}</ref> The museum continues today to be run by the grandson of the founder Marguerite Fawdry.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://london.randomness.org.uk/wiki.cgi?Pollock's_Toy_Museum|title=Pollock's Toy Museum|accessdate=29 October 2017}}</ref>
thumb|Collection of playing cards, Pollock's Toy Museum London thumb|Masks, Pollock's Toy Museum London, July 2009 The museum announced on 18 January 2023 that it had not secured a new lease on its building and was looking for a new venue.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/pollocks-toy-museum-forced-to-close-60027/|title=Pollock’s Toy Museum forced to close|publisher=ianVisits|accessdate=18 January 2023}}</ref> The venue was closed, and staff and volunteers moved the stock into storage. The museum's collection is now divided between two pop-up locations: in the Whitgift Centre in Croydon and at Leadenhall Market. This is a temporary solution while a new permanent home is sought.<ref name="pollocks"/>
==See also== *Benjamin Pollock's Toy Shop
==References== {{Reflist}}
== External links == *[https://www.pollockstoytheatresltd.com] *[http://arenapal.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/behind-scenes-at-pollocks-toy-theatre.html Behind the Scenes at the Pollocks Toy Theatre Shop Factory Workshop] – Photo documentary by John Vickers from the late 1940s
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Category:Toy museums in England Category:Museums established in 1956 Category:Buildings and structures in the London Borough of Camden Category:Museums in the London Borough of Croydon Category:Museums in the City of London Category:1956 establishments in England