‘I like the little details – like a tiny broken egg on a miniature kitchen floor'(Picture: Simon Murrell)
Rachel Knight is the proud owner of a Tudor-style mansion, a 1950s diner, a corner shop, a pub, a beach hut and an art-deco family home.
But the 44-year-old isn’t a property mogul, she’s an avid collector of miniatures.
Rachel has been obsessed with all things tiny since childhood, and now, she has a dedicated room for her 4,000-piece collection in her home in Tonbridge, Kent.
‘It’s a real passion of mine,’ Rachel tells Metro.co.uk. ‘If I really had to guestimate, I’ve probably spent about £10,000 over the years.
‘People think miniatures are creepy or quite an old-fashioned thing to collect, but you can literally get anything scaled down – there’s nothing creepy about them.
‘There are tiny tubs of Marmite, Easter eggs, kids’ toys, houseplants – I’ve even seen a bondage room complete with whips and handcuffs!
‘I love working on a project, and spending ages setting up the scenes, getting it just right.’
Rachel’s impressive miniature Tudor home (Picture: Simon Murrell)
A shop with all the finishing touches(Picture: Simon Murrell)
Tiny Pringles and even a Henry Hoover (Picture: Simon Murrell)
Rachel’s love of miniatures began at 11 years old, when her parents gifted her a train set for Christmas.
While the train was in full working order, the surrounding landscape was empty, prime for a young Rachel to fill with miniature houses, a church, a cricket pitch and even a level crossing.
‘I adored it,’ Rachel remembers. ‘I was really particular about what I wanted to add, and I loved playing with it.’
A few years later, her parents surprised her again, this time, with a four-storey Tudor-style house.
‘My dad made it from scratch,’ she says. ‘The roof tiles were made from cereal boxes, it had little chandeliers and fire grates made from empty tins.’
From then on, Rachel was hooked. She spent her pocket money on tiny additions to her tiny Tudor home. Money she was given for birthdays and at Christmas also went towards her ever-growing collection.
‘The first thing I bought was a double bed for the main bedroom,’ she says. ‘There’s plenty you can buy with a small budget – but you can go to the other end of the scale too.
‘I’ve recently been eyeing up some miniature Fisher-Price toys made by an artist on Etsy, which cost £150 each.’
A miniature of her dog(Picture: Simon Murrell)
A new bathroom set for Rachel’s Tudor home set her back £150 (Picture: Simon Murrell)
As the years passed, Rachel purchased more miniature real estate.
She continues: ‘The next thing I bought was a 1940s corner shop, and since then, I’ve constantly been adding to my collection.
‘I’ve got a pub called the Rachel’s Return, a beach hut, and my latest addition is the art-deco home.’
But it’s not just about buying the buildings, Rachel loves filling them up with tiny items.
‘I want everything to look realistic, but on a much smaller scale,’ she explains.
‘And it can take years to finish a project. I’ve been working on the corner shop for about 15 years.’
‘I want everything to look realistic'(Picture: Simon Murrell)
‘I think it’s very therapeutic too'(Picture: Simon Murrell)
Every one inch in her little world, equates to 12 inches in real life (Picture: Simon Murrell)
There’s more to it than simply adding in a few items of furniture – everything you would expect to find in a real-life version of say, a diner, exists in Rachel’s miniature world.
And when she says ‘miniature’, she means it.
Her items are at ’12th scale’, which means that every one inch in her little world, equates to 12 inches in real life.
She explains: ‘When I was kitting out the 1950s diner, I wanted to get those authentic ketchup bottles that you only ever find in restaurants like that.
‘I eventually found some online. They were £15 each, and my diner has three tables – £45 for three tiny ketchup bottles isn’t cheap!
‘In my corner shop, I also have a little Poppy Appeal collection box, complete with miniature poppies.’
And, as with full-sized homes, things need to be replaced over the years. A new bathroom set for Rachel’s Tudor home set her back £150.
The adorable beach hut(Picture: Simon Murrell)
She even has her own mini pub (Picture: Simon Murrell)
Rachel often heads to miniature fairs where she can learn about new products, and pick up items for her projects. She’ll be joined by her mum who is also a passionate collector, and her dad is still willing to make new buildings upon request.
‘It’s become a bit of a family affair,’ explains Rachel. ‘My nan was great at tapestry, and she used to make miniature rugs for us.
‘Mum and I will go to the fairs about twice a year. It’s a really fun day out and I like that we have this in common.’
Rachel’s husband, Tim, 56, is also a collector. ‘He’s into wargaming and figurines,’ she says. ‘My dad has built him a castle.’
With family and friends in the miniature community, Rachel says most people already know about her impressive collection. ‘People are usually interested to learn more,’ she says. ‘And I love showing them off. I like showing people all the fun, modern items you can get. It’s very different to what most people might first think of.’
When it comes to her favourite item in her collection, Rachel says it’s hard to choose. ‘I think I’d have to pick some peep-toe stiletto shoes, which are going to go in the art-deco home. They even come with their own shoebox.’
Inside the tiny diner (Picture: Simon Murrell)
She uses a pair of tweezers to move items around (Picture: Simon Murrell)
‘If you accidently knock one thing over, it can spell disaster’ (Picture: Simon Murrell)
So what is it about miniatures that Rachel loves so much?
‘They just really make me smile,’ she explains. ‘I like the little details – like a tiny broken egg on a miniature kitchen floor.
‘And then I like setting up photographs and posting them online. I love it when people take a while to clock that they’re looking at miniatures, because they look so realistic.
‘I think it’s very therapeutic too. It’s a solitary hobby and have to be really focused. I’m also a bit of a control freak, so I suppose I like that I have control over this tiny world.
‘I use a pair of tweezers to move items around – if you accidently knock one thing over, it can spell disaster.’
And while Rachel insists you can get anything scaled-down, she draws the line at getting a miniature of herself.
‘I think it would be a bit creepy!’ she laughs. ‘And once you add people into the set ups, it takes the reality away from it.
‘I do have a miniature of my dog, Alice, though!’
She has more than 4,000 pieces (Picture: Simon Murrell)
Her collects is worth thousands (Picture: Simon Murrell)
Rachel is keen for more young people to get involved in the mini scene. She says: ‘People think it’s a bit stuffy, it would be nice if some youngsters saw the appeal.
‘It’s not just old-fashioned houses. Thanks to 3D printing you can get all sorts – from washing baskets to animal food bowls – and everything is much more accurate and realistic than it used to be.’
Rachel jokes that if she adds any more items to her collection, she’d need to move house – but she does have her eye on a few products.
‘I’ve probably got over 4,000 items in my collection. One day, I’d really like a greenhouse,’ she says. ‘I don’t have any outdoor spaces, and I love the idea of a vegetable patch!’
To learn more about Rachel’s collection, visit her blog.
The Collectables:
The Collectables is a Metro.co.uk original series where we spotlight collectors around the world and take a tour of their impressive collections.
We’ll witness standout pieces, get a glimpse of rare finds, and uncover more about what makes people start collecting in the first place.
Other pieces in the series to read:
Women with huge 150-piece vintage bag collection shares how she finds second-hand gems
Meet Charlie, the eight-year-old young carer who has 751 Hot Wheels cars
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‘I’ve even seen a miniature bondage room complete with whips and handcuffs!’