Last month during the Walnut Fair weekend we finally made it along to Pollocks Toy Museum, which has its current temporary home near Turf Projects in the Whitgift Centre.

One of the oldest toy museums in the UK, Pollocks (now a charity) was founded in the 1950s, but the origins of the collection are from much earlier. The museum takes its name from the Victorian publisher Benjamin Pollock, who ran a shop in Hoxton selling toy theatres and other accessories.

We catch up with Pollocks curator and trustee Debby Brown to find out more about the collection and their Croydon base.

Croydonist: For our readers who haven’t happened upon Pollocks yet, can you tell us how some of your collection has come to live in Croydon?

Debby: Pollocks has been delighted to have found a new temporary home in Croydon’s Whitgift Centre, where we have an extremely warm and generous welcome. As part of Croydon’s Year Of Culture we have been able to start unpacking our extensive collection of toys, games and toy theatres, and to launch with an exhibition and oral history project around the once well-known Barton’s Toy factory at New Addington. The exhibition has now finished, but the project continues, and we would be very pleased to hear from anyone who worked for Bartons during the 1950s to 1980s.

Our first year at Croydon has been very full, with many new friends, collaborations, volunteers and wonderful local donations of toys and their family stories.

Croydonist: What should people expect when visiting Pollocks Croydon?

Debby: The free volunteer-run museum is open every Saturday 11am-4pm in unit 49, near Turf and Waterstones bookshop. There are changing displays of historical and world toys, including some which will bring back memories for older visitors. Special exhibitions, and weekly shows, alternate with family activities and workshops. With one Victorian penny you can hear the popular songs of the 1890s on the  wind-up Polyphon musical box, and you can also buy unusual and traditional toys, including our famous Pollocks toy theatres from our small shop.

Croydonist: Do you have any other sites?

Debby: Croydon is the museum’s main base, but we also have a quirky mini museum of toys and a shop in the City of London at Leadenhall Market (open Wednesdays and Fridays 11am-3pm). Harry Potter fans will recognise the Victorian market as the film location of Diagon Alley.

Croydonist: What is your favourite piece currently on display in Croydon?

Debby: There are always lots of favourites, but it’s especially nice to be able to show our oldest toy again, and imagine the ancient Egyptian child who played with the little clay toy mouse 4,000 years ago.

Croydonist: Tell us about your Croydon Walnut Fair exhibition.

Debby: This exhibition has come about by a particularly happy and fruitful collaboration with the Croydon Scientific and Natural History Society. The fair was once a highly important 3-day annual event for Croydon and the Surrey walnut growers, horse and cattle traders; and was a grand funfair of entertainment and stalls for people from miles around. Intrigued by the stories of travelling menageries, theatre shows, acrobats, waxworks, peep shows, gingerbread and toy stalls, Pollocks have re-imagined the fair with toys acting all the parts. Opening as part of Croydon’s Harvest event weekend, our exhibition continues until the New Year with associated entertainments and activities.

Croydonist: Do you have any special events coming up in the festive season?

Debby: For the festive season, and winter afternoons we will be unpacking our boxes of board games – from old favourites to silly, unusual, surprising, charming and forgotten gems.  There will be lots to look at, some to play and others to invent, for all ages to enjoy.

The Museum of the Home in Shoreditch are also hosting Pollocks this Christmas with 11 showcases of toys from our collection from 5 December to 11 January, plus bookable toy theatre shows.

Croydonist: What’s next for Pollocks in 2025?

Debby: With a generously low rent from Westfield, we hope to stay in Croydon for at least another year,  developing  local connections, with new exhibitions and activities already being planned, besides loans out to other museums . We also hope to create resources for schools, colleges and other interest groups.

Most importantly we will be fundraising for a larger and eventually permanent new home for the collection.

Thank you to Debby for chatting with us. You can visit Pollocks every Saturday, 11:00am – 4:00pm at Unit 49, Whitgift Centre, CR9 1SY, next to Turf Projects.

Find out more on their website and Instagram.

All images courtesy of Pollock’s Toy Museum Trust.

Posted by Julia