Date: Fri 02-Jul-1999

Publication: Ant

Author: LAURAB

Quick Words:

Museum-Toy-Model-Craven-Hill

Full Text:

Sale Pending On London Toy & Model Museum

By Catherine Saunders-Watson

LONDON -- With raised eyebrows, London real estate speculators sat up and took

notice earlier this year when it was announced that a certain well-known

compound of buildings just north of Hyde Park had been listed for sale.

Located at 21-23 Craven Hill, Bayswater -- the imposing multi-level property

in question -- represented a unique opportunity. The building is situated a

stone's throw from Paddington Station and contains 16 themed galleries, an

onsite cafe and a sizable private garden with steam railway and working

carousel. But this was only part of the story.

For the asking price of œ6 million (roughly $10 million), the buyer, whoever

that might be, would also assume instant ownership of one of the world's most

spectacular collections of antique toys -- 15,000 pieces in all. As the

British public has learned through snowballing media coverage, the beloved

London Toy and Model Museum is, indeed, being offered for sale, although

hopefully it will remain intact and continue as the popular tourist attraction

it had been for the past 17 years.

In a recent update, Antiques and The Arts Weekly received confirmation from

Tom Coyne, the managing director of Fujita Corporation, the Japanese

construction firm that has owned the museum since 1989, that contracts have

been exchanged on the real estate portion of the package only. The future of

the museum's contents, a veritable treasure trove of antique toys, dolls,

teddy bears and toy soldiers, appears uncertain.

Speaking by telephone from London, Coyne confirmed that sale is currently

pending on the museum buildings, which will revert to residential use.

"It is anticipated that there will be one house and two luxury maisonettes

created from the existing property. Although I cannot divulge the name of the

buyer, I can tell you that it is an English development company."

There has not been a comparable London property offered for sale in many

years, an important distinguishing aspect being the museum's rear grounds. Its

spacious private garden, considered the ultimate London extravagance, is

thought to be the second-largest in the city, with only Buckingham Palace's

gardens topping it for square footage.

But to those who love toys, 21-23 Craven Hill represents more than just prime

London real estate. It constitutes an urban-based fantasy world like the one

envisioned by Peter Pan author J.M. Barrie, who lived in the same neighborhood

around the turn of the century. An estimated 120,000 people visited the toy

museum last year, and in the past it has won numerous awards including "Best

Museum in the South," the Illustrated London News's National Heritage Museum

of the Year Special Judges' Award, and the British Tourist Authority's "Come

to Britain" trophy. In 1984, it became the first London museum project to be

formally endorsed by the English Tourist Board.

Sotheby's International Realty served as the listing brokers on the property

(although they are not the agents involved in the current pending sale).

According to Jon Baddeley, a senior director of Sotheby's, the current

Japanese economic climate figured heavily into Fujita's reluctant decision to

place the museum on the market. Fujita purchased the business from the

original owners ten years ago when it was looking for a London headquarters.

The chairman of Fujita at that time was a fanatical toy collector who invested

generously in renovating the exhibition space, and Fujita used part of the

building as offices for its international construction business. Sadly, the

company's chairman passed away, and that, coupled with the financial strains

being felt in the Far East, prompted Fujita's decision to sell its non-core

assets, including the museum.

The structure itself is mid-Victorian. Built around 1860, the house at 23

Craven Hill was occupied as a private residence for 90 years. In the early

1950s, the building was sold and the premises used as a language school.

In later years, the once-proud building fell into decay, but in 1982 new life

was breathed into it. The adjacent residence at 21 Craven Hill was purchased

and adjoined to number 23, and the London Toy and Model Museum was born.

Three people are credited with having brought to reality the idea of a

non-stuffy, child-friendly toy museum: Allen Levy, Narisa Chakrabongse and Dr

David Pressland. Levy was a co-founder and director of Bassett-Lowke

(Railways) Limited and later headed New Cavendish Books, known for publishing

top-of-the-line antique toy references.

Narisa Chakrabongse, a member of Thailand's royal family, grew up around fine

toys and had been a longtime collector of vintage bears. Her father, Prince

Chula, and her uncle, Prince Bira, were both passionate toy collectors and

regular customers of Bassett-Lowke Limited, thus the connection to Allen Levy.

(Prince Bira was famous as a racecar driver, and his E.R.A car, Romulus, was

willed to his niece, Narisa. Between races, the car was housed at the London

Toy and Model Museum.)

Finally, there was David Pressland, a distinguished London veterinary surgeon

who became equally well known as a collector of fine European toys and the

author of several best-selling toy reference books.

Each person brought to the table a particular expertise, and their combined

talent and dedication ultimately created an attraction that was, in

retrospect, of the time. Toy collectors regard the museum founders' foresight

as having been a gift to the hobby, since anyone short of Bill Gates would

find it prohibitively expensive in this day and age to replicate such a vast

inventory of antique toys from scratch. Money aside, just finding the toys now

would be a monumental task, since the caliber of toys involved is seldom seen

outside of museums or private, not-for-sale collections.

The Nineteenth Century poet Baudelaire observed, "The toy is a child's first

introduction to art." To Britons, there has never been a more fitting venue

within the United Kingdom in which to enjoy the art of the tin toy than the

London Toy and Model Museum. Tom Coyne is determined that the fabled

collection of playthings should remain in a museum setting, although it is now

accepted that the setting will not be the present one.

"I, personally, am doing everything I can to keep this collection together,

and even though we have had offers to buy parts of the collection, we are very

reluctant to break it up. The collection took such a long time to put

together. To see it disappear in one day at an auction, as has been suggested,

would be a terrible shame.

"We have had a lot of phone calls and letters from schools and children

telling us they hope we can keep the collection together and move it to some

new location. We are exploring different avenues, including the possibility of

leasing out the collection for a number of years. That, to me, is the easiest

way out if it does not sell as a whole.

"There has been a recent development," Coyne concluded, "although I am not

presently at liberty to elaborate upon it. For now, all I can say is, watch

this space, as we should know something within the next few weeks."

In the meantime, anyone interested in further details regarding purchase of

the London Toy and Model Museum collection is invited to contact Tom Coyne in

London at 011 44 171 2249010.