When you think about it, this city has a long tradition of doll exhibitions — from Punch and Judy shows in Covent Garden to Madame Tussaud's waxwork creations.
One hidden gem of the genre can be found in the Ealing district of Haven Green; founded in 2008, the International Dolls' House Museum is the personal collection of Nousha Pakpour Samari, BEM.
Stepping into the origami-decked lobby, sporting a few cases of dolls alongside boxes of wicker accessories, I wonder if this is the entire collection. In fact there are over 300 dolls here, and Nousha leads me to an unassuming wardrobe, opening the portal into the dolly kingdom...
Case after case is filled with everything from puppets to plastic miniatures, all beaming through the glass. There are porcelain dolls with velvet parasols, figurines in rural dress and dolls on rocking horses — all watched over by a miniature windup nun named Teresa.
The museum's 'International' title, by the way, is due to many of the dolls being souvenirs from across the globe, garbed in their country's traditional dress. A single shelf hosts specimens from Denmark, Jamaica, Poland and Hawaii, while their friends from Thailand, India and Wales are nestled on the self below.
90-year-old Nousha, looking very glamorous in a leopard print cape and culottes she sewed herself, tell us: "I started collecting dolls from Iran as a child and as the collection grew, whenever a friend or someone staying in the hotel went abroad I asked them to bring back a doll. Then I collect, collect, collect."
Nousha is referring to the Caspian Hotel adjoining the museum which she runs as a family business with her son Samander, and which featured in the Hotel Inspector series in 2012.
"We get between 20 and 25 visitors every week, it's a great opportunity for children to learn about other cultures and see traditional toys," says Dr Kay, a friend of the family who volunteers at the free museum, and has just finished penning Nousha's autobiography.
Nousha chips in: "So many dolls and toys today are just plastic or electronics. It's good for children to be able to use their imagination."
The retired hairdresser and active fashion designer uses her own imagination to devise her doll's backstories, beginning each tale with "It's a long story." Three dolls on a sofa are recuperating from losing their legs in a car accident, which Nousha demonstrates by flipping up layers of tulle petticoats.
Another case of dolls is at a dinner party being cooked for by a chef, while two teddies are honeymooning.
Opening a drawer, Nousha explains these dolls are sleeping, while another display shows one prone and one upright doll with a sign saying: "These dolls went to the pub and one doll got very drunk and fell asleep and the other doll who is wide awake looked after her".
As she guides me to the front room, Nousha shares that she moved to the the UK in 1960 with her six-month-old daughter Guissa to learn how to do the hair waves popular at the time. Her husband and son followed soon after. Her homeland features strongly in her collection; there is a shelf of Persian dolls all decked out in native dress from the Bakhtiari tradition, complete with beaded headdresses. There is also a male Persian doll in a kurta and galesh. This troupe have their own samovar in case they get thirsty.
Although the souvenir dolls and frilly porcelain creations make up a lot of the museum, there are also plenty of modern additions: Barbies lazing in hammocks, monkey puppets and even a 'dolly surprise' which yours truly got for her seventh birthday. Nousha excitedly shows me a castle which lights up and a singing dog which activates when its paw is pressed. The surprises and delights are endless.
As a dolls' house museum, there is a whole wall displaying different models, some fairly new painted with vivid colours and some classic Victoriana complete with wooden chaise lounges and tiny bathtubs. In the backroom are four dolls' houses decorated to reflect the four seasons, although I'm not sure why Spring has a faux leopard skin rug on the roof.
When we come to a case with handmade cloth dolls, Nousha proudly explains they were made by the Lady's Creative Centre which she officially founded in 1990, but its origins go back over 50 years.
"It's a long story," Nousha explains, "When we first came to this country, people said 'Oh, you're a refugee' and we were looked down on. I said, 'No, in Iran, we were ladies.' We had the hotel and people started coming, a lot of them didn't speak good English so we helped them learn and taught them things like cooking, sewing and other skills, and we built up a community."
One wall of the lobby is dedicated to Nousha's phenomenal achievements, from newspaper articles documenting her charity work, to images of her hair creations and certificates of appreciation from the council. She has led an incredible life and the museum is just one of the ways in which she brings support and joy to others.
The International Dolls' House Museum is a lot like the city it calls home. A melting pot of cultures and a hive of activity. There are dolls in wedding dresses, dolls going to dances and dolls singing songs. There are Camden punks next to genteel grandmothers from Kensington and everything in between.
As I toddle off with a signed copy of Nouha's booklet Vertex, I wonder what's next for the museum and its founder. Something tells me it will be a long story.
International Dolls' House Museum, Ealing, open every Saturday from 11am to 3pm, free entry
