Details From a Department 56 Dickens' Village

An old Department 56 stork I
used as Christmas table centerpiece, 2012.

I find few things to enjoy about putting away my Christmas village displays.  One advantage, however, is that I take my time to look at each building and accessory carefully, as if I am saying good-bye to it for another year.  It isn't sad for me to do this, because I like returning our house to its lean, and uncluttered feel when all Christmas goes into hibernation.  It is, rather, enlightening.

Dept. 56, North Pole Village,
"Marie's Doll Museum," #56408 (Left;) "Ginny's Cookie
Treats," 56732, (Middle;) and "The Egg Nog Pub," # 56737,
(Right;) "Gumdrop Street Lamp," #52966

Before Christmas, when I put up my Dickens' village, I can't enjoy the details of each piece, because  there is so much to do!  Not only do I have to deal with the village lights and cords, but we have to move out the boxes, decorate the tree, put my burgeoning North Pole collection on the family room shelves, put up the lights outside, decorate the table....  I just want it over and done with! Then, when the village is ready and the lights go on, I see only the gestalt of the display: the skaters skating; the windmill turning; the lights gleaming through paned windows.  It is magical.  But I still don't notice the individual people, and accessories, and buildings.

Dept. 56, Dickens' Village,
"Kingsford's Brew House," #58114

It is when I put my Department 56 away that I notice the details.  It is then that I notice the hints that the designers have included to clarify the historical function of a building, or define what type of role the people are playing, or suggest  the cultural or social history of the era.  Sometimes the details just make me smile. This is why I decided to pick out 10 of my favorite details from my Dickens Village pieces, photograph them, and share them with you.

Dept 56, Dickens' Village,
Detail from
"Manchester Square: Lydby Trunk and Satchel Shop,"

Detail #10: I can just smell the leather of these satchels from the Lydby Trunk and Satchel Shop in the Manchester Square collection.  The trunks are placed outside the shop, and a freak storm has partially covered them with snow.  However, the leather has been so well-treated, that they can withstand the moisture.  To leave them outside under these conditions is confident advertising!  Notice, also, that there is a door frame on the left of the sign, and the stuccoing has not been completed.  Maybe an old entrance has recently been bricked over.

Dept. 56., Dickens' Village,
Detail from
"Mangrove Orangery," #58440

Detail #9:  One day I was considering the "Mangrove Orangerie," speculating about what botanical wonders would have grown inside in the midst of winter.  When I looked down through the glass roof panes, I saw the orange trees inside.  Of course!  Oranges for a Victorian Christmas feast!

Dept. 56, Dickens' Village,
Detail from
"C.H. Watt Physician," #55691

Detail #8:  Do you remember James Herriot, the author of All Things Great and Small and All Things Bright and Beautiful and other books about his adventures as a veterinarian in rural England?  Remember how his Yorkshire office was on the first floor of the house, and he lived on the second?  Well, Dr. Watt in Dickens' Village also lives in the same building as his office, though his residence entrance is outside and up the steps.  In an emergency, it would be easy to find the good doctor!

Dept. 56, Dickens' Village,
Detail from
"Manchester Square: Custom House,"
#58301 

Detail #7: The symmetry of the Customs House is reminiscent of the 19th century Shaker architecture in rural parts of the United States.  The columns of the portico, all of the windows, the Christmas trees, the balustrades, the staircases, and even the garlands wrapped around the columns all have mirror image symmetry. It is so controlled, and balanced, and grand!  Though it does leave me reeling to think that the are no handrails on the inside of the steps, which would be very dangerous if there was ice!  A barrister's dream, that omission.

Dept. 56, Dickens' Village,
Detail from
"The Wool Shop," #59242

Detail #6: Turrets and towers, all coned and capped, are always romantic and beautiful.  I suppose this is why I knew immediately I wanted The Wool Shop in my collection.  Not only does its tower have a lovely leaded window and corbels, but of course a vine is winding its way up the side.  I love how the turret is slapped onto the side of an ordinary building--more likely, actually, an ordinary building is slapped on the side of an old turret!

Dept. 56, Dickens' Village,
"White Horse Bakery," # 59269

Detail #5:  I find the silhouette of the horse on the sign for the White Horse Bakery just wonderful!  If you click here, you can read my February, 2011 blog about the white horses of England, and when I saw my first one:  http://christmasvillagefun.blogspot.com/2011/02/white-horse-bakery-homage-to-english.html  This building is one of just a several Dickens' Village pieces that I have a profound attachment to because of my personal experiences in England.  No "best" list of mine will ever omit the White Horse Bakery.

Dept. 56, The Original Snow Village Accessory,
"The Village Stone Footbridge," and
General Village Accessory, "Stone Footbridge,"
#52646 

Detail #4:  Isn't this bridge beautiful?  You can see the individual stones laid just right, the handmade bricks lining the rails, the grout, and on either end, large spheres to mark the entrances.  To make it even more evocative and lovely is the red holly that twines itself over the rough stones.  Sprinkled with snow and garnished with evergreens, I would never set up my village without this footbridge.  It is listed as a general village accessory, as well as The Original Snow Village accessory.

Dept. 56, Christmas in the City,
"Wintergarten Cafe," #58948

Detail #3:  I have always included the Christmas in the City "Wintergarten Cafe" in my Dickens Village, and I know some people include it in their Alpine Villages also.  When I first saw it, I just loved the copper brewing cauldron, and that continues to attract my attention.  But I also love this detail on the side, which is a row of kegs of the different kinds of beer that the Cafe dispenses:  German Lager, Weiss Bier, Classic Pilsner, and Winter Ale, all written in lovely script.

Dept. 56, Dickens' Village
"Old Michaelchurch," #55620

Detail #2:  This is the door of Dickens' Village "Old Michaelchurch."  The door is old and wooden, heavily bracketed, and set into the rock first floor of old spired wattle and daub church.  Old Michaelchurch actually looks very much like the church in which my husband and I were married almost 40 years ago!  That's one reason I like it.  The other reason I like it is that the door is ever so invitingly open.

Add caption

Detail #1:  This actually isn't a detail.  But for me, this little accessory sums up the entire Christmas experience.  That my picture came out fuzzy added charm for me.  Christmas memories are so ephemeral and yet so strong.  There are memories of decorations, and presents, and food, and music, and celebration.  For me, though, they are mostly memories of being with those I love.

Department 56, Dickens' Village Chelsea Lane Christmas Display

Dept. 56, "Dickens' Village,"
"Chelsea Market Curiosities Monger and Cart,"
#58270

Shopaholics in the Department 56 Christmas Village community could not have failed to notice the preponderance of Chelsea Lane shoppers and vendors in Dickens' Village.  Just pause and consider the genetic reality:  a village addict...crossed with a shopping addict...in Chelsea....in Dickens' Village.....equals a critical mass of consumerism!  Department 56 "Chelsea Market Curiosities Monger & Cat" Set of 2 Retired

With no less than 7 Dickens' Village accessories specifically named after Chelsea, and many more implied, market place commerce is in full swing in a good Dickens miniature  village display.  But why Chelsea?  Why are there more vendors there than in any other part of London?  If you are questioning that, you have a great mind, and great minds think alike...

Chelsea, map from
Maps-of-london.com
So let's talk geography first, since, asTom Biebrach said, "Geography allows us to see the world more clearly."  Chelsea is located on the Thames, just a couple of miles upstream (southwest) from the London center, Westerminster Abbey, and Big Ben.  Chelsea sits on the north bank of the Thames, and is due south of Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens.  The Battersea Bridge links Chelsea with Battersea.

Family of Thomas More, painted by the great Hans Holbein.
Thomas is in black in the center, with his head still firmly attached.

Chelsea became fashionable in the 16th century, when Thomas More built a large home there to accommodate his extended family.  More was the Chancellor of England, appointed by King Henry VIII.  From Chelsea it was convenient for More to row (not that HE rowed, mind you) downstream to attend the affairs of state.  Likewise, it was convenient for important personages of the day, including the King himself, the humanist Erasmus, and the painter Hans Holbein the Younger to row (read: be rowed) to visit Thomas.

Dept. 56, Dickens' Village,
"Tower of London," # 58500

The King revered Thomas at first, but it didn't last.  When Henry dissolved the Catholic Church in England and took over the its lands, monasteries, and administration, a devout More balked and refused to sign an oath that the King was head of the Church.  Sadly, Chelsea's location on the Thames once again proved convenient, but this time it was for More to be rowed to the tower of London for his trial and execution. Department 56 "Tower of London" Set of 5 Dickens Village

Chelsea All Saints Church

Henry sent More to his death in part because the King wanted to dispose of his wife, Catherine of Aragon, and marry Anne Bolyn.  But Henry soon rid himself of Anne also, only to marry Jane Seymour, in All Saints (Old Chelsea) Church.  Ironically, Old Chelsea church was very near the home of his longtime, and by then beheaded, friend Thomas More.  More had commissioned a chapel in this church, and had sung in its choir, and one wonders if Henry thought about his deceased friend and chancellor during his marriage ceremony Jane.

Dept. 56, Dickens' Village,
"Whittlesbourne Church," #58211

It is uncanny how closely Department 56's Whittlesbourne Church resembles the reconstructed Chelsea All Saints.

After Thomas's death, King Henry seized More's house on what is now Beaufort Street, evicting the widow of his former Chancellor.  Later Henry decided to have a residence in Chelsea as well, he chose to build his Manor House near More's old home, on what was to become a famous address, Cheyne Walk, next to Old Chelsea Church.  Two other wives of Henry, Catherine Parr and Anne of Cleves, lived in Henry's new digs here.  Indeed, Chelsea became one of Henry's playgrounds.  It also became the playground for future generations of the noble and wealthy.

Dept. 56, Dickens' Village,
"Chelsea Lane Shoppers," #58165

By 1692, Chelsea had become a "village of palaces," 3000 strong, where the rich went to see and be seen. Department 56 "Chelsea Lane Shoppers" Village Collection

Dept. 56, Dickens' Village,

"Chelsea Market Mistletoe Monger and Cart,"

#58262

Of course, where the rich go, go also the merchants, to separate them from their money.  Dept 56, Heritage Village Collection "Chelsea Market Mistletoe Monger & Cart"

Dept. 56, Dickens Village,
"Chelsea Market Fruit Monger and Cart,"
#58130

Nonetheless, Chelsea also remained largely rural with a substantial market garden economy.  Local farmers provided London with seasonal fruits and vegetables,  generally produced in small plots throughout the area.  HERITAGE VILLAGE COLLECTION "CHELSEA MARKET FRUIT MONGER & CART

Dept. 56, Dickens' Village,
"Chelsea Market Flower Monger and Cart,"
#58157

Chelsea became particularly noted for its flowers, especially in the Chelsea Physic Garden.  This garden was founded in 1673 by the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries of London, to allow its apprentices to study the medicinal qualities of plants.  It evolved into an important center of botany and "plant exchange."  For example, cotton seeds collected in the South Seas were sent to the Physic Garden, who disseminated them to Georgia.  India received tea saplings from China, through the efforts of the same staff. South American rubber plants ended up in Malaysia, because of work done at the Physic Garden.  Dept. 56, Heritage Village Collection "Chelsea Market Flower Monger & Cart"

Dept. 56, Dickens' Village,
"Chelsea Lane Fish Monger and Cart,"
#58149

It is not a stretch to think that local fishermen also provided London with fresh catches of the day.  Department 56 Heritage Village Collection ; Christmas in the City ; Dickens Village Chelsea Market Fish Monger & Cart Set of 2 1993 ; Handpainted Porcelain Accessories #5814-9

Dept. 56, Dickens' Village,
"Mulberrie Court Brownstones," #58345

By the 19th century, Chelsea's many gardens and farms had been encroached upon by London's growth.  Rows of vegetables became rows of houses near the water.  A series of these rowhouse was in Cheyne Walk.  This famous street followed the Thames River eastward alongside More's original estate, then cut along Chelsea Old Church, dipping inland near Carlyles' House and running beyond Queen's house.                                                                                                                                      

James Whistler, Portrait of his friend Thomas Carlyle,

"Arrangement in Gray and Black, No. 2"

This part of Chelsea became an enclave for artists, writers, and philosophers.  Jonathan Swift, Henry James, George Elliot and Thomas Carlyle took up residence there.  It also became the hangout of painters, like James Whistler, who painted his friend Carlyle shown to the right.

J.M.W. Turner, Watercolor,
"Burning of the Houses of Lords and Commons"
Photo grom Cleveland Museum of Art.

J.M.W. Turner also resided in Cheyne Walk, using the pseudonym Admiral or 'Puggy' Booth, so he could remain anonymous.  Turner was famous for his impressionistic paintings, such as those depicting the burning of London in 1834.

Dept. 56, Historical Landmark Series,
"Victoria & Albert Museum," #799992

Approximately 25 works by Turner are house in the Victoria and Albert, which is just over 1 mile north of Cheyne Walk, near Kensington Gardens.  Department 56 Dickens Village Victoria and Albert Museum

D.G. Rossetti, Pre-Raphaelite Movement,
"Ecce Ancilla Domini!"
("The Annunciation")

Residing in Queen's House in Cheyne Walk was the poet and painter D. G. Rosetti, who hosted meetings of the new artistic movement called the Pre-Raphaelites. To historians looking back, the Pre-Raphaelites were a group of artists and writers who formed a movement to test and defy previous conventions of their genres.  They imbued their paintings with symbols and references to magic, and were not afraid to use new and unconventional subjects, drawing upon Shakespeare, Keats, and other sources for inspiration.

Dept. 56, Dickens' Village,
"Chelsea Market Tea Monger," #4020194

To the various artists, writers, and painters, living in Chelsea was stimulating.  They could visit one another's homes, discuss the newest trends, and even meet on the street to chat over a cup of tea. To their neighbors, the Pre-Raphaelites were just annoying because they kept a bestiary of animals, including peacocks, who disrupted everyone's quiet.

All in all, Chelsea is full of colorful history.  It is understandable why More lived there, Henry played there, artists and writers created there, and shoppers shopped there.  And Department 56 commemorates it all!