The Forde Doll & Doll House Collection - Winnsboro, SC - Doll Houses in a Bed & Breakfast

The Forde Doll & Doll House Collection is housed at 500 Hampton Street in Walterboro, South Carolina. The Collection is located within the Hampton House Bed & Breakfast. The 50+ doll houses in the collection mainly consist of antiques. The Collection includes 36 room boxes and a large collection of china, bisque, and antique dolls.

The bed and breakfast and the Collection are both owned by Diane Forde and her husband, Henry Ruthinoski. A portrait artist and former window designer, Diane Forde has had a fascination with doll houses since childhood. She once included a doll house in one of the displays at her art gallery. She wound up keeping the doll house for years after the display ended. After this, she began purchasing doll houses at yard sales.

Eventually, Forde and Ruthinoski began building doll houses together. Diane then began formulating the idea for a doll house conservatory of sorts. As a person who loves antiques, Forde decided that they would focus their efforts on antique doll houses. This is how the Forde Doll & Doll house Collection began.

The couple moved to South Carolina in 2005. In 2006, they opened the Hampton House Bed & Breakfast and installed their collection of doll houses. The Collection includes miniatures from the United States and also contains miniatures from Germany, Japan, and Korea. The doll houses can be inspected in the living room of the Hampton House, which is a building that dates back to 1912.

Most of the houses that the couple procured came from antique stores, from the internet, or by word of mouth. Forde would simply get calls from people who heard of her collection and had something to offer. The Collection features a variety of structures, such as Bliss and Gottschalk houses and tin houses from the 1950s. Several homemade doll houses are also included in the Collection.

Forde uses an extensive collection of doll house books to help identify who made a particular miniature. This helps ensure that the house is filled with appropriate furniture. The Collection also features paper dolls and antique dolls.

In addition to the Collection, Hampton House offers afternoon tea parties. These tea parties are offered on Fridays and Saturdays at 12:00pm and 3:30pm. Tea parties are available to groups of eight. The cost is $22.50 per person. Tea sandwiches, tea cakes, scones, chocolate-dipped fruit, and a selection of fine imported teas are included in the cost. Tea parties include a private tour of the Forde Doll & Doll House Collection.

The Collection has been featured in The Post and Courier, The Press and Standard, The Community Times Dispatch, and in other publications as well. For visitors interested in staying at the Hampton House, the bed and breakfast offers three rooms. The Azalea Room has a view of the front garden and includes a queen size canopy bed. The rate for the Azalea Room is typically around $125 per night. For the same price, the Magnolia Room offers garden views, a private bath, and a queen size canopy bed. The Camellia Room runs about $145 per night and features a private balcony that looks out over the gardens and the pool. In addition, the Camellia Room has a claw foot tub that also has a hand-held shower feature.

Additional information on the Forde Doll & Doll House Collection or the Hampton House Bed & Breakfast can be obtained by calling 843-542-9498.