Doll museum to reopen

A scaled-down version of the doll museum at Cromwell is to reopen under the new title of Vina’s Doll Gallery.

The museum, formerly the Vina Cooke Museum of Dolls and Bygone Childhood, will open to the public again from February 16.

Based at The Old Rectory, Cromwell, it is named after the late Mrs Vina Cooke-Chambers, who built the collection with her husband, Mr Charles Chambers.

Mrs Cooke-Chambers died in 2011 and the museum closed in October last year. An auction of about 500 items was held in November, conducted by Adam Partridge from the BBC’s Flog It! programme.

Mr Chambers has now reorganised the collection with the remaining exhibits.

He said the emphasis would be very much on the art, variety and style of the dolls themselves. The museum previously had various other childhood items.

He said: “The heart and soul of Vina’s collection will be on show but in a scaled-down form.

“It will still be a worthwhile attraction for people to visit.

“I am relieved to have got things back in place and am very much looking forward to welcoming people back to the gallery.”

The museum first opened in 1983. The house is currently on the market and Mr Chambers is looking for a new home for the collection for when he moves.

Opening hours will be flexible. Ring the museum to enquire on 01636 821364.