A LEGENDARY Twyford model shop will close its doors for the final time next month after 38 years in business.
The Berkshire Dolls House and Model Company has supplied bespoke models for numerous TV shows such as Midsommer Murders as well as clients all over the world.
Owner Howard Philips has been inundated with shocked customers visiting the shop on Wargrave Road after closing down signs appeared in the window.
But Howard, whose parents also ran a gift shop in the town, said it was “time to head to the coast.”
“I have loved running the shop and enjoyed wonderful relationships with customers over the decades,” he explained.
“But I feel it is time for me to retire, so I am looking at moving somewhere near the sea, maybe Cornwall.”
A former firefighter, Howard’s unique craftsmanship and attention to detail in doll house construction saw him inducted into the Guild of Master Craftsman in 1995. His son, Kieran who joined the team in 2018 as a custom project designer also designs custom builds including railway layouts.
The Wargrave shop regularly receives orders from television and major advertising companies. These have included a number of houses for an episode of Midsomer Murders and the 2019 Christmas advert for supermarket giant, Aldi.
Another major design which has won acclaim is a replica of the Bates family house from the Hitchcock classic, Psycho.
But father and son are especially proud of the numerous requests from customers looking for a unique family gift. One of these included a Tudor-style thatched cottage for a lady who wanted a unique family heirloom to pass on to her grandchildren.
The cottage, which took five weeks to complete, included a smoking chimney, real wood floorboards, beams, hand-bricked stacks and inglenook fireplaces.
Added Howard: “It has been a great pleasure running the shop. I will miss all my regulars and thank them for their customs. It will be hard to leave but the time is right.”
