Of Love and Faries

It's February and I begin today's blog entry with a story of love that breaks the usual romantic drone of the month. This brief retelling of a story that appeared in the February 1937 issue of The Rotarian magazine is a story of a father's love for his daughter and all children, especially those most in need.

Sometime around 1907, Sir Nevile Wilkinson KCVO was doing a little painting in Mount Merrion Wood. He'd set up his easel to make a drawing of an old sycamore tree when his three year old daughter who'd been playing nearby called him to say she'd seen "a fairy queen". Being a doting father, Sir Nevil made a promise to show his little girl the palace of Titania, the Fairy Queen and it would take sixteen years for him to make good on that promise, but he did more than simply fulfill the fantasies of his beloved daughter.

The dollhouse that Sir Nevil created would tour the world raising funds for disabled children. It came to Philadelphia's Sesquicentennial exposition, toured the United States, went to Buenos Aires, and then under the sponsorship of King George V and Queen Mary it toured the old British Empire making stops in Australia, New Zealand, and Canada.


Titania's Palace

The Palace was handcrafted from detailed drawings provided by Sir Nevile under the direction of Irish cabinet makers James Hicks and Sons. The palace has eighteen rooms including the Hall of the Guilds, the Hall of the Fairy Kiss, the Chapel, Titania's Boudoir, Princesses Iris' and Ruby's rooms, Princesses Daphne's and Pearl's room, the Morning room, the Royal Bedchamber, Oberon's Study, Oberon's Museum, and the Throne room. The Palace was constructed in eight sections and equipped with electric light and heat for the convenience of its fairy occupants. The Palace's inlaid wood floors were crafted by Sir Nevile's friend and fellow officer Colonel Alexander Gillespie.

Of course, my first thought was where is this treasure now? So, I did a little web-mining and came up with a few silent films showing Titania's Palace. The first of these is a general tour filmed in 1928. Unfortunately the film itself is in pretty poor condition with losses and jumps here and there, but you get an idea of the size of the palace and its appointments.

The second film is a talkie describing and demonstrating the miniature organ created for the palace.

 



The final film comes from 1969 and shows the opening of Titania's Palace at the village of Wookey Hole (yes, it's a real place, I checked before airing this) in Somerset England.

In 1978 Titania's Palace was purchased by Lego and it remained on display at Legoland Denmark until 2007 when it went on loan to loan to Egeskov Castle where it can be viewed. So, if you're ever in Denmark, check out a palace within a castle and pay tribute to love everlasting.