Issue 52 February 2026

20 Miniature Time Traveller From the Archives; Janet Burn’s Doll House This impressive and solidly built doll house was made for the late Janet Burns (nee Aikman) c 1930 by her father, John McLeod Aikman. He also made much of the original furniture. The family was living in First Street, Masterton, New Zealand, and he used small stones from the driveway for the stucco finish. The roof tiles were cut from old kerosene tins. Much of the furniture in the house is original to it as are the curtains. Other items of furniture and accessories from the same period have been added. This doll house is on permanent loan courtesy of the Burns family and resides in a private collection in Masterton. The roof tiles painstakingly cut from tins. The interior, containing a lot of original furniture and detail, is a faithful rendition of life in the 1930s in a doll house. The little school room on the top floor in which would have been the nursery, has been added later but fits comfortably with the period.