Issue 52 February 2026

Following Dennison’s death in 1924 at age 77, his daughters, Florence, Alice, and Eveline were determined to keep the business going. Although without their father’s engineering skills they understood the importance of continuing to provide novelty amid the piers many attractions. They built on their father’s model collection from their suburban home in Leeds. It was an impressive team. The business was handled by Florence, age 36 and Alice, then 34, latterly a governess and dressmaker who turned her attention to the machines themselves. By studying her father’s models she mastered the fiddly mechanics. She also stitched the costumes for the figures. Eveline, 28 years old, was responsible for the scenery and props. She had art school training, and often used Alice as her model. She handcrafted characters from wood and clay. They renovated some of their father’s models to include more movement, improving the plots and reveals. In 1929, they made their first model from scratch: “The Haunted Grange.” A miniature manor house becomes the setting of a supernatural killing. In 1930 they made a big breakthrough. They converted the dioramas to electricity. “Spook House” benefited from this change. It was complete with a levitating telephone and resident pint - sized ghost. Switching to electricity removed the need for hand winding the machines, maximizing profits. Each of these machines took between three to six months to complete. Florence, the last surviving daughter, donated a huge amount of paperwork to Abbey House Museum shortly before she died in 1976. Her notebook shows that when they took over the business in 1924, the sisters annual takings were £1,586. A decade later, largely owing to Murder in the Museum this had risen to £2,624. In 1943 wartime visitors to Blackpool swelled due to soldiers there on leave. There was also large numbers of evacuated women and children. In this year they made £6,831 (around £311,500 today). Ghoulish models captivated the hoards of early 20th - century holidaymakers. “The most popular models were always those with a morbid flavour — ‘Supper with Death’ ‘Midnight in the Haunted Graveyard’ and ‘Murder in the Museum,’” A particularly pointed quote from one of the sisters, noted in a 1963 newspaper article — “Anyone who imagines that children prefer fairy stories are way oƯ beam.” And don’t we know the truth of that. “Murder in the Museum” is a complex machine with a system of irregular rotating cams and undulating levers. This is where a lever goes over a bump which pulls it in and out to make the movements. Timing is important. A cam with a steel spring makes the click of the gun right on time. Simultaneously, a switch causes a hidden lightbulb to go on and oƯ to recreate the powder flash; then a lever drops the fatally wounded man’s head forward, only to quickly push it up again. This stops it rubbing on the closing sarcophagus. The sisters had it nailed! And this would be an interesting challenge for miniaturists today. It can be simple as below, or complex. Give it a go. Below shows a simple cam set up and a winding lever. It will move arms or a head. Miniature Time Traveller 5