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The Dolls
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Many characters were created over the years, reflecting Cornish history, Cornish industries and famous Cornish people. The first character created by the three ladies was Dolly Pentreath, then Smugglers and Fishermen then dozens of carefully researched characters Henry V111 and his Wives 8" and 14" range, Charles II and Nell Gwyn, Lily Langtry, William Cookworthy with his West Country china connections, he carries a small teapot, Beefeaters, Mary Kelynack and the Lostwithiel Letter Carrier. There was also a complete range of historical dolls from 1066-1970, they were made for an exhibtion in Newquay, it took the ladies two years to make and was bought entirely by a private collector in Kent.
The first outlet was The Doll Exhibition, The Shallowpool Shop, 11,Station Road, Fowey, formely a little grocers shop. The window was filled with pirates in striped jerseys, with eye patches and peg legs, sitting about on little rum kegs, while others climbed up rigging, surrounded by fishermen, some in yellow oilskins and sea boots. fishwives and bal maidens. A notice in the window said 'Locally hand-made Dolls, etc. DOLL EXHIBITION. What they used to wear. Made in Shallowpool, near Looe.'
Inside, the shop was crowded with shelves and cases full of the little figures, leaving just enough room for two or three customers. Upstairs in the Doll Exhibition in large glass cases there was a medieval garden full of characters, a tableau showing Charles I's visit to Fowey, complete with coach and horses and notables, a lively smugglers cave, and the Helston Furry Dance, with a crowd of figures dancing through the town as they do each year, these are just some of the characters shown at the Doll Exhibition.
The ladies found running the shop in Fowey hard work and decided to sell through established outlets, the first was a gift shop in Looe. The ladies then chose one outlet in each seaside resort in Cornwall, Muriel Fogarty trundling along the lanes in her little white van distributing their dolls to the chosen shops. Then by mail to Devon, and the Isle of Wight and three outlets in America. At the height of their success there were 16 ladies working at the Shallowpool workshop and many outworkers employed.
The dolls were approx 7 inches-8 inches, made from plaster of paris poured into moulds and then expertly hand painted, the bodies had wire armatures, covered with foam or cotton wadding, some were then bound. The dolls were perfect in the minute details of their costumes, tiny buttons, ribbons, lace trimmed undergarments, even little silver buckles on the pirate captain's shoes. The dolls often had accessories, the fisherman had two fish, the smuggler had either a keg or jug with a place name, the fishwives and fruit sellers had baskets to carry their wares. The accessories were always attached by wire or held by hand, so occasionaly I've found some characters, turning up with the wrong accessories. The earlier characters were rugged and weather beaten in appearance, with a much glossier finish to their faces and hands.
The nursery rhyme characters were about 5 inches -6 inches and also came with accessories.
There are dolls similar to Shallowpools, some of the earlier Peggy Nisbets dolls and a range of Scottish fishermen and fishwives by Sheena Macleod.
I have found two museums with collections of Shallowpool dolls, well worth a visit.
Dunster Dolls Museum
Memorial Hall
High Street
Dunster
Minehead
Somerset
TA24 6SF
Tel: 01643 - 821220
Open: 25 March to: 30 Sept
Days: Monday - Friday, 10.30am - 4.30pm. Saturday - Sunday, 2pm - 5pm
Fowey Museum Trust
Trafalgar Square,
Fowey,
Cornwall
Tel: 01726 833513
Open April- November Daily
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