Toy Soldier Art

British Castles

There is something very pleasant about the old toy castles made in Britain. They are toys with character. We have two of these marvelous little castles. Designed in the days before plastic, they have simplicity and a touch of creative flair.

The castle shown here is made of fibre board and wood. A trick the makers used was to throw sawdust or fine sand into the wet paint. This was to give it a touch of stony texture. The base was also a box to carry the walls and towers.

A few details make a difference. This castle is pretty much "under scale" for the common sort of toy knight made at that time. You can see its dimensions compared to 60mm and 50mm knights. A 50mm (2 inch) knight barely fits in the opening. A 60mm (2 3/8 inch) knight is too tall. The drawbridge is pretty narrow, too.

Undersized walls and undersized walls. They did manage to get the ramp across the moat. That is a common feature to these type toy castles. The back facade is done to a larger scale. The door looks just about right for a 60mm knight. The facade itself is much larger in scale than the towers at the front.

Beyond the details and matters of scale, this castle is quite a treasure. The dark grey walls and towers have a Medieval look to them. There is a feeling of an old castle complete with ivy and worn stone. It is an artful rendition of a knightly fortress.

There is room atop the walls of the facade to place knights. Of course, there is plenty of room on the towers. It looks great with knights, and is equally appealing if tenanted by the Coldstream Guard or the Black Watch.

Click here to see another wooden British castle