Laura's Doll Hospital

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United Kingdom
Southampton
Laura's Doll Hospital

I repair and restore antique, vintage and modern dolls. Please see my website for more information.

26/07/2025

Joan went home today. She's a lovely black composition doll from around the 1930s. She's been cleaned, her scuffed paint touched up, a leg repaired, and she's restrung with fresh elastic. I also gave her precious hand knitted clothing a chemical soak to bring back those vibrant colours.

24/07/2025

Louloubelle is a lovely 24-inch hard plastic baby doll made by Sarold Manufacturing Company in around 1948. Sarold were based in Liverpool, on the Kirkby Trading estate, but the dolls were sold all over the country, usually out of Woolworths. They were very popular and I meet them often - in fact, there's another here already! I cleaned Louloubelle, repaired her eyes, touched up the paint on her lips and fingernails, restrung her with fresh elastic, and dressed her in this beautiful vintage baby dress.

22/07/2025

As a child of refugees, I rarely enjoyed the thrill of a new toy. She must have noticed the longing in my eyes

17/07/2025

It was a pleasure to restore Jenny, a sweet little 10" hard plastic doll from the early 1960s. She's been cleaned and restrung, had her eye mechanism repaired and her wig refitted, and she has new red shoes!

15/07/2025

Susan is an example of a Roddy pram doll that was popular in the 1960s. I meet them quite often! She has new eyes, a touch up to her mouth paint, and an ink stain removal on one finger.

12/07/2025

Amy and Rose arrived home today. Amy is a type of collector's doll popular in the '70s and '80s, with a fabric body and porcelain head and limbs, these days affectionately known as a Walda. She's had her hair washed and softened, a good clean and soak of her clothing, and a new leg too. Rose is a black composition baby doll from the late '40s or early '50s, and she's been cleaned, restrung and dressed in a new outfit.

10/07/2025

Love these photos of my mum with her Tiny Tears in around 1967. Do you have any childhood photos with your dolls?

07/07/2025

Lily is a sweet little 10" plastic Rosebud doll from the 1950s. She's been cleaned and restrung and given some new eyelashes and a new outfit.

05/07/2025

Here are two more dolls I've been restoring in memory of a collector who passed away about seven years ago. I adore this life-size baby which was made by Simon and Halbig for Kammer and Reinhardt in about 1910 and sold as 'My Liebling Baby'. Her eyes move from side to side when she's moved and she has a 'trembling tongue' which moves as well, all on weights. She's dressed in all antique baby clothes and has a little 10-inch antique doll of her own.

03/07/2025

This composition doll in tribal dress was given to a 2-year-old little girl when the family relocated to South Africa at the end of the Second World War. The clothing is made from animal skins! He has been cleaned, restrung and had scuffed paint touched up, and now he's full of character again.

27/06/2025

Having a doll restored is a lovely way to remember someone who has passed. This is Lynda Elizabeth, a little composition doll made by Pedigree in around the 1930s. I loved picking out the antique cape for her! As you can see, she was very badly damaged but is whole again and looking much happier. In memory of Steve's mum who was Lynda Elizabeth.

Address

Southampton

Website

https://www.laurasdollhospital.co.uk/

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