Laurence St Leger and his wife and co-creator Angela made 1:12 scale pieces that are esteemed for their exacting scale, perfect craftsmanship and eye for detail and humour. They made detailed automata and in 2015 he won the inaugural Perfection in Miniature award (PIMA) at the Kensington Dolls’ House Festival for his fully working Swiss Army 7 knife. This knife is now in the Victorinox Museum in Switzerland.
I collected his working 1:12 scale tin toys over several years to display in the toy shop section of my miniature Emporium. One of my favourites is the stork and baby that I bought the year my first grandchild was born in 1997. Pull the wire and the stork drops the baby into the chimney. I was always amazed that a man with such big hands was able to do such delicate work.He apparently never thought of himself as an artist, but he was incredibly imaginative and always pushing what could be done on a small scale. Laurence St Leger sadly died in 2023, but his wife is carrying on his work. Acknowledgements to Laurence St Leger’s obituary.