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A moribund Croydon shopping centre seems an unlikely place to find an original Sooty puppet — but such is the unexpected magic of the new Pollock's Toy Museum pop-up.
Pollock's — which was unceremoniously turfed out of its long-time home near Goodge Street last year — has dusted itself off, and relocated to an empty unit at Croydon's Whitgift Centre. The setting may not quite have the rambling enchantment factor of its former Fitzrovia home, but the museum volunteers are making the most of the new space, setting out a smattering of toys from the incredible permanent collection, including Sooty, Sweep and Soo puppets (donated to the museum by Sooty creator Harry Corbett), a slew of vintage dolls and teddies (including a radio ventriloquist dummy — that's right, radio ventriloquism really was a thing), plus a selection of toy theatres, which Pollock's is particularly well known for.
The curators have embraced their new surroundings, by displaying a miniature Trojan bubble car — a model of the actual ones that were manufactured in Croydon during the 1960s — and a couple of dolls' house rooms, made in the A Barton & Co factory, which employed a number of people living on the New Addington housing estate between the 1950s and 80s.
The pop-up — which is free to visit — is open every Saturday (they will probably move out of the Whitgift at some point, by as of August 2024 they're still there), with regular activities and workshops for kids and adults. In the long run, Pollock's hopes to find another permanent home in central London. Till then, they're still looking for volunteers to work at the museum pop-up; you can get in touch here.
Pollock's Toy Museum pop-up, Whitgift Centre, Croydon, Saturdays, free
All images Londonist/Joanna Rutherford
