Barton began making dolls house furniture just after the 2nd World War in 1945 as a way of giving employment to demobbed British soldiers. At this time toy houses made from sheet metal by companies such as Tri-ang and Gee-Bees started to be mass produced. The doll's house became the must have toy for every little girl in Britain, and she needed to furnish it.

Barton catered for this expanding market by mass producing "Model Home" doll's house furniture from wood, plastic and metal. By the 1970s the company also made miniature dolls, "Motoplay" garages for boys and miniature farmyard sets.

Girl's names were a theme for dolls houses in the 60s and 70s for example the "Jenny's Home" range by Spot-On (Tri-ang) and Debbie's Dream House (Deluxe Reading/Topper Toys) from the USA.

Barton used the name "Caroline's Home" as a trade mark from about 1976. By this time every little girl owned a doll's house - if not a store bought one then one hand made by her dad! Every toy shop and department store had a doll's house section and the Caroline's Home range of doll's house accessories presented in box sets and on cards covered with bubble plastic were best sellers.

With the Caroline's Home brand came the first Caroline's Home doll's house. Its distinctive yellow door and window shutters and child's bedroom decorated with a Chicken and a Horse turned it into an instant favourite.

Although there was no official connection with Lundby during the 1970s, some of Barton's 'modern' items are so similar there must have been some link. Possibly Barton used Lundby or Lundby's suppliers for some of the items e.g. lamps/light fittings, or Barton might just been copying the innovative and successful Lundby design. Sufa

In 1984 Barton and the Caroline's Home brand were taken over by Lundby of Sweden. The logo and packaging was changed to the pale pink and blue you can see below. Some Lundby items were introduced into the Caroline's Home range and some of the traditional wooden pieces were given a funky 80s makeover!

The photos and caption are printed in the September 2006 issue of The Lundby Letter. REPRODUCED BY KIND PERMISSION OF THE WE LOVE LUNDBY CLUB

Lundby continued to sell the Caroline's Home brand until the recession of the late 1980s when UK operations ceased. The Lundby company has since changed hands many times but still continues to make doll's houses and furniture to this day. Today it is owned by Micki Leksaker AB - click on the Lundby logo for more information.

One sixteenth scale is the common scale for children's toy houses from the 1950s through to the 1980s. Barton, Lundby, Tri-ang, Gee-Bees and Dol-Toi are all examples of manufacturers who made houses and furniture in 1/16th scale.

[Note: it is very confusing but 1/16th scale is often also referred to as three quarters or 1/18th scale (where 3/4 inch represents 12 inches or 1:18). There is a slight difference but you will often find these scales used interchangeably when referring to "Lundby Scale". The standard for adult or collector's doll's houses is the larger 1/12th scale (1 inch represents 12 inches or 1:12).]