Assessment
Written Condition Assessment
£28 for one doll, then £12 for each additional doll assessed at the same appointment.
Full price tableLudlow, Shropshire · By appointment only
Doll Repair For Pieces With A Past
Philotes Dolls repairs, restores and conserves antique, vintage and well-loved dolls, with particular care for bisque, composition, wax, hard plastic and early vinyl pieces.
Workshop
Ludlow, Shropshire
Visits
Appointment only
Lead Time
Standard repairs 6 to 10 weeks; full restoration 12 to 18 weeks
Bisque Crack Stabilisation
Composition Fill And Colour Match
Sleep-Eye Reset
Mohair Wig Setting
01
Incoming Condition Assessment
What Is Examined First
Every doll is first read as an object with layers: original manufacture, later repairs, family handling and storage history. Elinor checks the head and shoulder plate under raking light, then the socket, eyes, wig, stringing, costume and any previous adhesive before suggesting treatment.
- Head And Shoulder Plate
Hairlines, chips, old fills, plaster residues and pressure marks around the neck opening.
- Socket, Eyes And Pate
Alignment, sleep-eye rocker movement, wax or plaster chatter and whether a pate can be lifted safely.
- Body, Costume And Adhesive
Elastic fatigue, composition flaking, textile stress points and old glues that may stain or shrink.
02
Common Workshop Prices
Repairs With Written Scope Before Work Begins
Stringing
Simple Re-Stringing
£38 to £62 depending on size and limb count, with weakened hooks or sockets noted separately.
Compare repair rangesComposition
Fill And Colour Match
£160 to £420 depending on flaking, missing areas and the level of sealed finish required.
Read the terms03
Conservation Method
Record, Stabilise, Finish
A
Record
Incoming photographs, written condition notes and finish samples are made before active treatment starts.
B
Stabilise
Cracks, lifting composition, failing elastic and loose eye mechanisms are made secure without pretending uncertainty has vanished.
C
Finish
Colour, gloss, bloom, blush and age are matched to the surviving surface rather than pushed toward a new-toy shine.
04
Favourite Work
Composition Dolls Kept Old On Purpose
Elinor’s favourite work is the careful rescue of early composition dolls: faces with crazing like dried riverbeds, hands rubbed flat at the fingertips, knees worn by years of being sat on shelves and beds. These dolls can be made unpleasantly smooth very quickly. The workshop does not sand away a life simply because the material allows it.
The best result is often quiet. Lifted paint is secured, a missing temple is shaped only as far as the surviving form permits, exposed fill is toned back, and the final surface is allowed to admit its age. A collector should be able to see what is original, what has been stabilised and where restraint was chosen over spectacle.
That kind of repair is slower than a full cosmetic repaint, but it is the difference between restoration and erasure. Philotes Dolls is at its best when the doll still looks like itself after the work is finished.
05
Booking
Email First, Then A Timed Workshop Visit
Send three clear photographs, the doll’s approximate height and a short note about what worries you. No restoration begins until you have approved a written scope of work by email.
- Tuesday to Friday
- 09:30 to 16:30
- First and third Saturday
- 10:00 to 13:00
- Sunday and Monday
- Closed