British architect Edwin Lutyens (1869-1944) designed many classically influenced country houses like Little Thakeham (1902), Heathcote (1906) and Great Maytham (1912). He also designed the exquisite Queen Mary's Dolls' House.
It took 1,500 artists and craftsmen three years to make the five foot high house. It has working plumbing, electricity and lifts, and a garage of cars with engines that run. The monograms on the linen took a seamstress 1,500 hours to sew; the buttons on the servants’ pillowcases are almost invisible; the Purdey shotguns break and load, the bottles and jars contain what their labels say they do—such as Ch. Margaux 1899, Oxford marmalade or sticks of barley sugar. There are even mice in the kitchen mousetraps. It contains scores of its household objects and features—wineglasses, mother-of-pearl, ivory and marble bathrooms, damask wall-coverings, a motorcycle and sidecar, a knife-cleaning machine and paintings on its walls and ceilings. It even has a well-stocked wine cellar.
More: Smithsonian
Take a virtual tour of the house at The Royal Collection Trust
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