History of Wooden Toys in Britain | Jaques of London

Picture a nursery in the 1820s: floorboards scattered with a carved horse, a spinning top and a set of skittles worn smooth by small hands. These were the toys of a British childhood long before moulded plastic arrived, and many of them were made from the same hardwoods still shaped today.

That thread runs unbroken to the present. Jaques of London was established in 1795, which places our workshop among the oldest games and toys makers in Britain, and the timber we choose now tells its own story. Responsibly sourced FSC timber, non-toxic finishes and UKCA and CE testing sit behind every piece in our wooden toys range.

The history of the wooden toy in Britain is really a history of how children play, and of the makers who kept faith with grain, weight and craft. It is a story worth following from the Georgian nursery to the modern heirloom.

How British Children Played Before Plastic: The Georgian and Victorian Wooden Toy Trade

Georgian children did not want for playthings, though few families owned many. A carved ark with paired animals, a wooden hoop driven along a lane, a peg doll dressed in scraps of cloth — these were the staples of early nineteenth-century play.

Toys were often made at home or by local turners and joiners who worked wood for a living and shaped a top or a cup-and-ball between larger jobs. Beech, sycamore and lime were favoured for their close grain and clean finish.

The Victorian period widened the trade considerably. Rising urban prosperity and cheaper printing brought a market for more elaborate items: rocking horses, dolls' houses, alphabet blocks and building bricks. Many of these ideas survive intact in our educational toys for toddlers.

Play in this era was rarely idle. Blocks taught letters and counting; skittles and quoits taught aim and patience. The Victorian nursery treated the wooden toy as an instrument of learning as much as amusement, a view that shaped the whole British trade.

It was also the age in which parlour and lawn games acquired their standard forms. John Jaques II codified the rules of croquet and produced the first standardised croquet sets in 1851, with mallets traditionally crafted from hardwood. Those same games endure in our traditional games.

For a closer look at the nursery itself, our companion piece on the history of wooden toys in Britain follows the story indoors.

The Golden Age of the British Wooden Toy: Edwardian Makers, War-Time Shortages and the Rise of Home Craftsmanship

The Edwardian years are often called the golden age of the British wooden toy, and with reason. Skilled makers produced finely finished rocking horses, pull-along animals and painted train sets, sold through department stores and by post across the country.

Craftsmanship was the selling point. A well-turned top or a jointed doll was expected to survive years of use and pass between siblings, an early form of the heirloom thinking that still guides our wooden toys today.

Then came the disruption of war. Both world wars brought shortages of timber, metal and labour, and toy imports dwindled. Factories turned to munitions, and the ornate imported toy became scarce on British shelves.

Scarcity had an unexpected effect. Families made do, and home craftsmanship flourished. Fathers and grandfathers cut and sanded simple carts, forts and animals from offcuts, and children learned that a plain block of wood could become almost anything with a little imagination.

This period fixed something in the national character of play. The British wooden toy came to stand for durability and thrift rather than novelty, a quality that still draws parents to our children toys.

The home-made toy also kept skills alive when the trade contracted. Techniques of turning, jointing and painting passed down informally, ready to be picked up again once timber and time returned. Those same techniques underpin the open-ended sets in our educational toys for toddlers, which reward the kind of unhurried, inventive play that wartime nurseries knew well.

Where Did Britain's Most Beloved Wooden Toys Come From? Regional Makers and Their Lasting Legacy

Britain's wooden toys were never made in one place. They grew out of regional trades, each shaped by the local timber and the craft skills already at hand.

Woodland counties with plentiful beech and sycamore supplied the turners who made tops, skittles, quoits and the mallets and balls of lawn games. Furniture-making districts lent their jointing and finishing skills to dolls' houses and boxed sets.

Rocking horses became a speciality of certain London and northern workshops, where carvers built a reputation for muscular, lifelike forms. A good horse was a considerable purchase, often commissioned and named, and many survive in family lofts a century later.

Games were a category of their own, and one closely tied to London. The standardisation of croquet in 1851 helped turn a scattered pastime into a properly equipped game, with hardwood mallets and defined rules. That heritage lives on in our traditional games.

Regional makers rarely competed head to head. A turner in one county and a games maker in another served different needs, and together they gave Britain an unusually broad range of wooden playthings.

Their legacy is not only in surviving objects but in the standards they set. The expectation that a wooden toy should be solid, well finished and safe in a child's hands is a direct inheritance from these workshops, and it still shapes our wooden toys.

Parents weighing the merits of natural materials will find that thinking gathered up in our guide to sustainable wooden toys.

How the Plastic Revolution Nearly Killed the Wooden Toy — and Why It Didn't

The second half of the twentieth century belonged to plastic. Injection moulding made toys cheaper, lighter and faster to produce, and bright synthetic figures and vehicles flooded British shelves from the 1950s onward.

For a time the wooden toy looked like a relic. It was heavier to make, slower to finish and harder to price against a moulded competitor, and many small workshops closed.

Yet the wooden toy did not disappear, and the reasons are instructive. Wood aged well where plastic scratched and cracked. A wooden toy could be repaired, repainted and handed on, while its plastic rival was often discarded within a season.

Parents also began to notice how children played with each. Open-ended wooden pieces invited longer, quieter, more inventive play, a contrast explored in our piece on screen time and wooden toys.

Safety expectations rose too, and this favoured well-made wood. The British standard BS EN 71 sets strict requirements for wooden toys, with Part 1 covering mechanical and physical properties such as sharp edges and small parts. Sound materials made these easier to meet.

By the turn of the century the balance had shifted. Families returned to wood not out of nostalgia alone but for value that lasted, and that renewed demand is felt across our children toys.

Why Wooden Toys Are Made to Last: The Modern British Makers Carrying on a 300-Year Tradition

What makes a wooden toy last is not luck but decision-making at every stage: the timber chosen, the way it is cut and jointed, and the finish that protects it.

Modern British makers work to obligations their Georgian forebears never knew. The General Product Safety Regulations 2005 require that wooden toys sold in Britain meet defined safety obligations, including non-toxic finishes, while BS EN 71 governs the physical detail. UKCA and CE testing confirms compliance before a toy reaches a child.

Material choice matters as much as testing. Responsibly sourced FSC timber means a durable toy today and a managed forest tomorrow, a balance set out in our guide to the best eco toys.

Parents who want reassurance on the practical questions will find them answered in our note on whether wooden toys are safe for children.

The craft itself is unchanged in spirit. A turned top, a set of building blocks or a croquet mallet is still shaped from hardwood chosen for strength and grain, much as it was when Jaques of London began in 1795.

That continuity is the point of a heirloom. A toy made to last is played with, kept and passed on, and the tradition renews itself with each child. It is visible in our wooden toys and in the early-learning pieces within our educational toys for toddlers, carrying a three-hundred-year British craft into the next nursery.

Frequently Asked Questions About Wooden Toy Uk

Who invented wooden toys in Britain?

No single inventor created wooden toys in Britain. Wooden playthings evolved gradually, with craftsmen and turners producing simple dolls, hoops, and spinning tops from at least the medieval period. By the Georgian era, specialist toymakers had established workshops catering to wealthier families. Jaques of London, founded in 1795, became one of Britain's most prominent manufacturers, producing games and equipment including hardwood croquet mallets and standardised croquet sets from 1851. British wooden toy making was a craft tradition rather than a single invention, shaped by generations of skilled woodworkers.

How old are wooden toys?

Wooden toys are among the oldest playthings in human history, with archaeological evidence suggesting they existed thousands of years ago in ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome. In Britain, wooden toys have been documented since at least the medieval period, with carved figures, hobby horses, and spinning tops common in households across the social spectrum. By the Georgian and Victorian eras, British makers such as Jaques of London, founded in 1795, were producing more sophisticated wooden games and sporting equipment, reflecting a long, continuous tradition of wooden toy craftsmanship.

Where did wooden toys originate?

Wooden toys have no single country of origin. Archaeological finds suggest they appeared independently in ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, and across Asia thousands of years ago. In Europe, German craftsmen in the Erzgebirge region became particularly renowned for carved wooden toys from the early modern period. Britain developed its own strong tradition, with London and provincial craftsmen producing wooden playthings from at least the medieval era. Jaques of London, established in 1795, is among the enduring examples of British wooden games and toy manufacturing that grew from these deep-rooted craft traditions.

Are wooden toys better than plastic toys for children?

Wooden toys offer several practical advantages over plastic alternatives. They are typically more durable, withstanding heavy use without cracking or breaking into sharp fragments. Many parents and educators value their open-ended nature, which encourages imaginative play. Wooden toys sold in Britain must comply with BS EN 71 and the General Product Safety Regulations 2005, ensuring non-toxic finishes and safe construction. However, whether wooden toys are definitively 'better' depends on the child's age, play style, and the specific toy. Both materials can be safe and beneficial when they meet recognised British safety standards.

Why are wooden toys so expensive in the UK?

Wooden toys tend to cost more in the UK because of the materials and craftsmanship involved. Quality hardwood is a premium raw material, and shaping, sanding, and finishing it to meet British safety standards — including BS EN 71, which covers mechanical properties, sharp edges, and chemical coatings — requires skilled labour and careful manufacturing processes. Compliance with the General Product Safety Regulations 2005 adds further production costs. Many wooden toys are made in smaller production runs than mass-produced plastic alternatives, and reputable British brands like Jaques of London, founded in 1795, reflect a heritage of quality that commands a higher price.

What are traditional British wooden toys?

Traditional British wooden toys include hobby horses, spinning tops, skittles, Noah's Arks, rocking horses, building blocks, and pull-along animals. Wooden board games, chess sets, and croquet equipment also form part of Britain's wooden toy heritage. Jaques of London, established in 1795, played a significant role in this tradition, producing hardwood croquet sets with standardised rules codified by John Jaques II in 1851. Many of these toys were handcrafted by skilled woodworkers in London and across the English countryside, designed to be durable enough to pass between siblings and generations.

Is Jaques of London the oldest toy maker in Britain?

Jaques of London, established in 1795, is one of the oldest games and toys manufacturers in Britain. The company has operated continuously for over two centuries, producing wooden games, sporting equipment, and classic toys. John Jaques II codified the rules of croquet and produced the first standardised croquet sets in 1851, with mallets traditionally crafted from hardwood. While other British craftsmen and toymakers predated Jaques, few if any commercial toy manufacturers can match the company's documented, unbroken trading history, making it a strong claimant to the title of Britain's oldest toy maker.

When did plastic toys replace wooden toys in the UK?

Plastic toys became increasingly prevalent in Britain from the 1950s onwards, as post-war manufacturing advances made injection-moulded plastics cheap and versatile. By the 1960s and 1970s, plastic had become the dominant material for mass-market toys, largely displacing wooden alternatives in mainstream retail. However, wooden toys never disappeared entirely. A revival in consumer interest from the late 20th century onwards, driven by concerns about durability, sustainability, and safety, saw wooden toys regain popularity. Established British makers such as Jaques of London, founded in 1795, continued producing wooden games and equipment throughout this period.

Why are wooden toys better for toddlers?

Wooden toys are often recommended for toddlers because they are robust, unlikely to shatter under rough handling, and free from small plastic components that could break off and pose choking hazards. In Britain, wooden toys must meet BS EN 71, which sets strict limits on sharp edges, small parts, and chemical coatings, and comply with the General Product Safety Regulations 2005 requiring non-toxic finishes. Their weight and texture also provide sensory feedback that supports early motor skill development. Simple wooden shapes, stackers, and pull-along toys encourage open-ended, imaginative play appropriate for young children.

Are wooden toys a good heirloom to pass down?

Wooden toys are well suited to being passed down through families. Their durability means a well-made wooden toy can survive decades of play without significant deterioration, provided it is kept dry and away from prolonged damp. British wooden toys must meet BS EN 71 and the General Product Safety Regulations 2005, including requirements for non-toxic finishes, which supports their longevity and safety over time. Companies such as Jaques of London, founded in 1795, have produced wooden games and equipment that families have kept for generations. A quality wooden toy represents lasting value compared with most plastic alternatives.