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Established 1913!
2 ½ million repairs to date, from all
over Australia and New Zealand!
Amidst a rush of traffic and
modern-day mayhem on Stoney Creek
Road in Bexley lies a small but amazing piece of
history. 95 years ago, and a whopping 2 ½ million repairs ago, Mr Harold
Chapman Snr. founded Sydney’s Famous Original
Doll Hospital
and although the Hospital has relocated several times you cannot help but get a
sense of days gone by when you walk through the doors. A place where miracles
happen every day.
In 1913 Sydney’s
first Doll Hospital was opened in Beamish Street,
Campsie by Mr Harold Chapman Snr as part of his General Store, all beginning
from a simple shipping mishap. Harold’s brother was in the business of
importing celluloid dolls from Japan
and during the shipping process the rubber bands holding the dolls together
would perish and it was Harold who devised a way to repair them. From such a
small beginning grew quite a successful business as demand for doll repairs
increased.
The business was taken over in
the 1930’s by Harold’s son, also Harold Chapman who relocated the Doll Hospital
to Her Majesty’s Arcade in Sydney where the business expanded to include
repairs to leather goods, handbags, gloves, toys, umbrella’s – practically
anything that could be repaired, was repaired! The real boom came in 1939 with
the 2nd World War and the extreme restrictions on manufactured and
imported goods. Suddenly new dolls were no longer an option so little girls had
to have their “best friends” lovingly repaired. Staff numbers had reached a
whopping 70 employees working in 6 different workrooms!
By this stage, the Doll Hospital
had accumulated such a large range of parts and supplies that in 1968 it was
again relocated to it’s current location on Stoney Creek Road in Bexley as the
building was perfect for storing all the parts and boasted a beautiful
store-front which has been wonderfully renovated and now displays everything a
little girl (or her grandmother!) could dream of.
The Doll Hospital
is now run by Mr Geoff Chapman, Harold Jnr’s son who has continued to carry out
repairs with the same passion and enthusiasm of his father and grandfather. The
Doll Hospital is not only in its third
generation of owners, but also its third generation of “doctors”, the skills
and knowledge being passed down through the family of repairers. Each doctor
specializes in her own area and they cover quite an unbelievable range of
repairs. Antique and modern dolls, teddy’s and soft toys, prams, suitcases and
handbags, umbrella’s, rocking horses, porcelain and ceramic items of all
descriptions, and the list goes on. “The
interesting part of our job is that no two dolls are the same, each needing
different repairs so every day poses a new challenge for us. Over the years we have
revised and refined our methods as the dolls have changed too!” say the doctors,
Kerry, Gail and Tamara.
“There is nothing more satisfying
than seeing the smile on a little girls face when she comes to collect her
beloved doll. People often have tears in their eyes when they have to leave
their precious dolls, but tears of joy when they come to collect them and see
the transformation.” Geoff says. Flipping through the ‘Before and After’ photo
album you can see just how many wonderful repairs have been carried out and you
can just imagine the stories behind them. It is estimated that the Doll Hospital
has treated 2 ½ million “patients” so far – that’s a lot of childhood memories
revived! Patients are sent from all over Australia
for treatment, and even some from New Zealand!
Aside from the Doll Hospital side
of the business, you can also wander for hours around the Doll Shop, which
boasts floor to ceiling antique and new dolls, bears, toys, prams, golly’s and
ragdolls, dressing and dolls houses, everything you could possibly dream of,
you can find within the wonders of the Doll Shop. There is even a dressmaker,
Gwen, who works for the Doll Hospital who hand-makes dresses for the dolls who
has such a vast knowledge of the era of the different types of doll that she
knows by memory exactly what each doll would have been dressed in, from
crocheted gowns to lacy dresses with matching bonnets and pants.
So if you have a precious doll or
bear up in the cupboard that has seen better days, maybe injured, aged and a
little neglected, it’s time to treat them to some R & R at Sydney’s Famous Original
Doll Hospital, and ensure they will be passed on and loved for many years to
come…
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History 
