My Own Department 56 Dickens Village Display-2011

So many of you have generously shared your village pictures with me, so I thought it only fair that I share in return.  And, of course, I love my village!

This display represent only about 60% of my Dickens Collection.  In the past my display was much larger.  From the rafters of our garage hangs the large plywood display board onto which my husband's childhood train set is attached.  In past years we would risk chiropractic intervention by lowering it and setting it up on a table in the living room.  The board was blocked above the table,  so that the tangle of pesky cords would be hidden underneath.  It fit perfectly into the living room space.

With the gift of a grand piano from a relative, however, the train table set-up had to be eliminated at Christmas.  With the display table, plus the piano, there just wasn't room for the comfortable influx of people into the house. So, the obvious solution was to create the village on the piano.

Dickens Village wildlife

That caused three problems. First, the natural habitat of some of the village creatures was affected, though they seem to have adapted.  Second, about a third of our buildings are languishing in boxes in our storage area, though we shall experience great joy upon refinding them one year soon.  And, third, using the piano surface caused great prickles of anxiety, which were smoothed by a thick double layer of white felt, that protected the piano from any nicks or scrapes.



My village is based on the old world model of a village that grew organically, without building codes or a planning commission, so my streets are not laid out in a grid. Instead, most of the activity is centered around three squares:

One square, at the bottom in the photo above, and also in the picture to the left, is the commercial district with the White Horse Bakery, Tutbury Printer and J.D. Nichols Toy Shop, etc.  Notice the Town Crier making a proclamation next to the Town Square Gazebo.

The second square, see below, is around the river, with Great Denton Mill, the Village Animated Skating Pond, Bidwell Windmill, and Grapes Inn, with its resident geese.

The damp conditions in this area attract all sorts of creatures, like the one to the right.  However, in my Dickens Village even the alligators are vegetarian, and thus represent no danger to the local inhabitants and pets.

Dept. 56, Dickens Village Display,
Grapes Inn, Hather Harness, Cobb Cottage

Close by is the sadly declining rural area, with Hather Harness and Cobb Cottage.  In my village, the Industrial Revolution really hurt agriculture.  When there is an expansion of the available real estate, in subsequent years, I believe more residential and agricultural areas will reappear.

The third square is in front of Victoria Station, the transportation hub of the village, where people meet and greet. Of course the Post Office is on one side of the station, to speed the mail, and on the other side are two bars, which typically grow up around train stations:  the Wintergarten Cafe and the Kingsford Brew House.

When I created the squares, I placed buildings back to back to hide the cords and give good views of building fronts from all directions.  The only exception, or course, is when you are standing behind Victoria Station....where no one actually stands, unless they are sneaking around the piano, looking at the backs of buildings in my Dickens Village for your own nefarious reasons.

Because the display is on top of the piano, I had to deal with cords, and more cords, and a few cords.  I solved this by covering them with the same white felt, and then covering that with snow to hide the seams and lumps.  You will notice big drifts of snow where the buildings are back to back.  You may notice children sledding and playing there.  No traffic, so it is safe, though there is a danger of electrocution.

I never worried about the inhabitants of my village, until one day we found the oak tree uprooted, the gazebo overturned, and Tutbury Printer devastated.  We didn't know who or what to blame.  Dickens Village  inhabitants reported the sighting of a big foot in the area.

A few days later we awoke to find the C.H. Watt Physician building dangling from the display table by its cord.  A pile of snow lay on the ground below, and dusted the brow of a short tail.  Big foot was exonerated.




I guarantee that your tour through my Dickens Village will be safe this year.