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Anyone will tell you, turning your childhood hobby into a full-fledged, successful business is a dream come true.  James Hemsley has done just that and more.  He has been building 1:24 and 1:12 scale Old English Countryside Cottages & Houses for over 15 years.  As a result, his models are on display in homes throughout the world.

Trigger Pond models are original designs inspired by the craftsmanship of centuries ago. Their cottages, pubs and inns are to be admired as much as they are fully functioning dollhouses.  A 1:24 scale, half-timbered English Cottage sitting on a coffee table or displayed on a corner bureau with its lights twinkling in a darkened sitting room is captivating, and evocative of years past.

James was brought up in what is known as the Midlands of England, known for its beautiful countrysides. Having lived in a coal mining and clay-working region, his first post-school job was working with bricks and pipes.  James soon found himself in quality control work right up to 15 years ago, when he started his miniature “Cottage” business.  

Six years prior, James moved to Oxfordshire to start a new job.  While working for this firm, he was renovating his recently purchased cottage when he realized he had a deep appreciation for architecture and the beauty of each individual element.  This realization led him to the decision to start making models again - something he often did as a child.  Shortly after his decision, he visited a tourist shop and stumbled upon a complete section devoted to rather plain-looking dollhouses.  This was all the inspiration James needed to get started.  He purchased his first set of plans and his childhood hobby came to life.  He finished his first cottage and had a local businesswoman in the miniatures market stop by to take a look.  She immediately commissioned an additional house for herself and strongly encouraged James to explore the possibility of exhibiting his works of art on the exhibition circuit.  James eventually worked up enough courage to request a small space at his first show. 

With the guidance and help of many other artisans in the field, James came to realize he was actually embarking on his second “career.”  This was confirmed a short time later when the company he had moved to Oxfordshire for, shut down and he needed to find new work. While job searching, he continued to visit and exhibit at various shows to get a better feel for the marketplace.  After 12 months of no “proper job” luck, he felt he had seen enough of the dollhouse world to know that what he made was special and unique. Half-timbered buildings and cottages were reminiscent of England’s history and still scatter the countryside - and no one was re-creating them.  He made the decision to take on modeling full-time and launched his new business, Trigger Pond Dollhouses, makers of Old English-style Cottages and Pubs.  The name, Trigger Pond, came from his home, aptly named “Trigger Pond Cottage.”  In addition, “Trigger Pond” sits just beside their cottage and the “Trigger Pond Inn” is just down the road.   It seemed the name just fit.

The bones of each cottage are made from high quality Birch plywood with beam work.  The decorative carvings are made from finely grained soft wood that accurately represents 1:24 scale.  Stone floors and fireplaces are all produced from timber and are the remarkable result of his wife Joan’s painting and shading techniques.  Most of the models have three electrical circuits, which enables the cottage to have hidden lighting.  This lighting gives each room its overall glow, as well as flickering wall candles and burning fires.  Realistic roofing is often what makes or breaks a great dollhouse.  Again, James is fortunate in calling on the skills of his wife to create what is not only an accurate, but beautiful finish.  

James’ workshop sits at the end of his garden, with windows that look out over the open countryside.  Other than a large band saw he uses for cutting down large timber panels, his tools are the usual hand tools you might find in your average handyman’s workshop.  James says the most difficult part of producing these wonderful creations is the design.  His wife, who is the brains behind each design will spend days working on new ideas, incorporating new features they have come across - only to have James tell her it is impossible to build.  They often joke that there is a near divorce built into every new Trigger Pond Cottage.  Many, many drawings later, they will produce a prototype in cardboard to ensure the design is feasible before committing to the first demonstration model.  Clearly, the end result is worth the process every time.

Their “research” is an ongoing process. The pursuit of half-timbered buildings and cottages is easy enough, as England still has thousands in existence today. They are very fortunate to have such a wealth of old buildings to visit.  James’ fascination with England’s history allows him the pleasure to spend hours walking around dusty old buildings and noticing the immense skill early craftsmen had, with only the materials available at the time and the simplest of tools.  They continuously photograph various architectural elements, houses and buildings from their encounters.  Many of these elements end up as features on their next cottage and/or inspiration for an entirely new cottage.

When it comes to the future of their business, James sums it up best:  “Let us strive for continual improvement and excellence in our art, so that future generations will be able to appreciate the expertise of hand-produced work in a machine produced age.” 

We couldn’t agree more.