Tucked away on the quiet grounds of the Royal Lodge of Windsor Castle lies a beautiful miniature cottage, which was the Wendy house of Queen Elizabeth when she was a child. Presented to the Queen on her 6th birthday, The Little House, or Y Bwthyn Bach’, is hidden in the southern gardens with its thatched roof and white-washed walls. Since the Queen grew out of it eight decades ago, it has been the playground of every subsequent generation.
The cottage was designed to be ⅔ scale, and is 8” wide, 24” long and features rooms that are 5” high. Edmund Willmott was the architect who designed this glamorous Wendy house, after having designed a smaller version for his own child. The structure symbolises Wales’ adoration for Princesses Elizabeth and was presented to her and Princess Margaret by the people of Wales on Elizabeth’s birthday in March of 1932.
Inside, the cottage is fitted with a typical Welsh interior. It features a small staircase, kitchen, bathroom, and a bedroom, and was extremely modern by 1932 standards with electricity, hot and cold running water and even an electrical heated towel rail! The room contains a miniature china set, a miniature oak dresser, and a miniature radio. Hung above the mantelpiece is a portrait of the Queen Mother as well as a prominent “E”. There is a bookcase containing the works of Beatrix Potter, as well as brooms, pots, and pans, and various other items made bespoke to scale. The mini kitchen features a working refrigerator and gas cooker. The kitchen has a darling scale gas stove, as well as a washing machine. The Royal cottage features a fully-functional mini-telephone. On the exterior, the front of the cottage has a lovely scaled garden, complete with flower borders and scaled hedges. It is a joy to look at.