Up for Auction is this lovely miniature replica of "St Mary's Church." This is a

vintage collectable item in "like new" condition that was displayed in an enclosed glass cabinet in our home for the last 30 years. It is in excellent condition and comes with its original box, pamphlets, deed and packaging. We purchased this piece in England over 30 years ago. It measures approximately 6 inches long, by 4.5 inches wide, by 5.5 inches tall at the steeple. 

HISTORY OF ST MARY’S CHURCH, STUDLEY ROYAL

When the estates of Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal were united in 1767, a celebrated medieval monastic ruin was incorporated into one of England’s finest 18th-century landscape gardens. The most significant later addition to this setting, now a World Heritage Site, is the Gothic revival Anglican church of St Mary. Created partly as a result of a tragic family death in 1870, St Mary’s Church was designed by William Burges in an eclectic Gothic style for the Marquess and Marchioness of Ripon in 1870 and completed in 1878. A masterpiece of an astonishingly inventive designer, it is rich in decorative detail and symbolism.

Lilliput Lane, founded in 1982^[ by David Tate, was a company known for its extensive range of realistic handmade models of real English, Scottish, and Welsh cottages and scenes. The company produced models ranging from British Landmarks such as The Tower of London, to small cottages. David Tate explains:  “We drive thousands of miles a year, photographing cottages in and around the country, the cold, wet ones, as well as the warm, comfortable ones. It’s from those photographs that we actually put a design together.”

Usually based on a real building, Lilliput Lane Cottages were originally carved in wax, with each stone and shingle being added individually. From that model, a silicone mould was made, and from that mould, the final cottage was cast in Amorphite, which is a Lilliput Lane invention. Each piece was hand painted by trained artisans. 

The models were sold in over 50 countries around the world. In 2016, Enesco announced they were closing their production factory in Langholm, and also announced that Lilliput Lane would cease to be manufactured. In January 2017, David Tate died after a nine-year battle with cancer.

While many of the Lilliput Lane pieces once fetched prices upwards of $300, the market cooled substantially, but it has been showing a resurgence this last year, and some of the more rare pieces are still commanding impressive prices. The popularity of these cottages is certain to return in the future as these pieces are beautiful works of art that represents the history of the United Kingdom!