History of Wooden Toys in Britain | Victorian Nurseries to T
A Victorian nursery held few objects, but the ones it did hold tended to last. A carved horse on wheels, a set of alphabet blocks, a jigsaw map mounted on mahogany — these were passed between siblings and, often, between generations. Wood was simply what a toy was made from.
That continuity is part of why the wooden toy still feels familiar today. The materials have been refined, of course. Modern makers work with FSC-certified timber and test their pieces against safety standards, with UKCA and CE marking confirming that toys meet the requirements set out in BS EN 71. But the essential idea — a well-made object a child returns to again and again — has barely shifted in two centuries.
Jaques of London was established in 1795, which means the company has watched much of this history unfold. What follows is the longer story of how wood came to define the British nursery, how it was nearly displaced, and why it endures. You can see the living end of that story in our wooden toys today.
How the Wooden Toy Became a Staple of the British Nursery Before 1900
Before 1900, the British nursery was a modest place, and its contents reflected it. Wood was cheap, workable and forgiving, so it became the natural material for the objects children handled daily. Blocks, hoops, spinning tops, pull-along animals and skittles filled the shelves of households that could afford playthings at all.
One of the earliest documented examples predates the Victorian era. Around 1767, John Spilsbury, a London cartographer and engraver, mounted a map on wood and cut around the countries to teach geography. His dissected map is widely credited as the first jigsaw puzzle — and one of the first wooden educational toys made with a clear teaching purpose.
That idea of the toy as a quiet instructor took hold quickly. A child learning county borders by fitting shapes together was learning without being lectured, and parents recognised the value. Many of the toys that shaped this early market survive today in the collection at the V&A Museum of Childhood, now Young V&A, in Bethnal Green, which holds one of the largest collections of historic toys in the United Kingdom.
By the late nineteenth century, the range had broadened. Draughts, dominoes and simple board games sat alongside the nursery staples, and the line between an educational toy and a family game blurred pleasantly. The same instinct runs through our traditional games and our educational toys for toddlers, which trace their form directly back to these Victorian originals. What the period established was a principle: a good wooden toy earned its place by lasting and by teaching something, however quietly.
The Golden Age of the British Wooden Toy Industry: 1900 to 1960
The first half of the twentieth century was, in many ways, the high point of British wooden toy making. Skilled turners and joiners worked in small workshops across the country, and the products of that era have a confident simplicity that still reads well today.
Two world wars shaped the industry in odd ways. Import restrictions cut off the flow of cheaper toys from Germany, which had dominated much of the pre-war trade, and British makers filled the gap. Wood was one of the few materials available in quantity, and workshops that had turned to munitions or utility work returned to toys when peace allowed.
The between-the-wars nursery favoured toys that rewarded repetition. Building blocks, ninepins, rocking horses and pull-alongs were made to survive years of use and then a younger sibling after that. Many of the shapes we still associate with our children toys were settled during these decades.
Board games matured too. The parlour and the nursery both wanted games that a family could return to on a wet afternoon, and draughts, dominoes and race games were produced in enormous numbers. The forms in our traditional games owe a great deal to this period, when a game was expected to be a permanent household fixture rather than a passing amusement.
What held the era together was craft. A toy was designed by someone who understood wood, cut by someone who worked it daily, and finished by hand. That closeness between maker and material produced objects with a particular character. It also, unknowingly, set a standard that the coming decades would test severely — because a cheaper, faster, brighter material was about to arrive.
How Plastic Changed Everything — and Nearly Killed the Wooden Toy UK Market
The material was plastic, and it changed the nursery within a generation. Injection moulding allowed a toy to be produced in seconds rather than shaped over minutes, and in colours no timber could match. From the late 1950s onward, plastic offered volume and price that wooden workshops could not approach.
The economics were brutal. A moulded toy cost a fraction of a turned one to make, and it could be sold cheaply enough to be almost disposable. For families rebuilding after the war, that affordability mattered. Wooden toys began to look expensive and old-fashioned beside the bright new arrivals.
Many British workshops closed or diversified. The skills that had defined the golden age — turning, joining, hand-finishing — became harder to find as the demand that sustained them fell away. For a couple of decades the wooden toy UK market shrank to a niche, kept alive largely by heritage makers and by parents who valued durability over novelty.
Something was lost in the shift beyond craft. A plastic toy that broke was thrown away; a wooden one was mended and kept. The idea of a toy as an heirloom, so central to the Victorian and Edwardian nursery, faded from the mainstream.
Yet wood never disappeared entirely. A handful of firms, Jaques of London among them, carried on making games and toys the older way through the leanest years. That continuity mattered, because it meant the knowledge survived intact. When tastes eventually turned back — and they did — the tradition was still there to be picked up rather than reinvented from scratch. The revival, when it came, had something genuine to build on.
The Craft Revival: Why British Parents Started Choosing Wooden Toys Again
The turn back toward wood was gradual, then obvious. By the 2000s a growing number of British parents were looking again at what their children played with, and the qualities of a wooden toy — weight, warmth, durability — began to feel like advantages rather than nostalgia.
Part of the shift was practical. A well-made wooden toy survives being dropped, chewed and left in the garden, and can be passed down. Parents comparing a shelf of moulded plastic with a set of blocks that might outlast childhood increasingly chose the blocks. Our questions about durability and safety are addressed directly in our guide on whether wooden toys are safe for children.
Part of it was developmental. Open-ended toys that a child controls, rather than toys that perform for the child, hold attention differently. The Montessori approach put language around this, and interest grew in the kind of pieces described in our writing on Montessori toys for toddlers. There is also a real conversation about screens, which we explore in our piece on ADHD, screen time and wooden toys.
Sustainability sharpened the case further. A toy made from responsibly sourced timber, built to last and eventually compostable, sits well with families thinking about waste. We set out the fuller argument in our overview of the best eco toys in the UK.
The result is a market that looks, in spirit, rather like the Victorian one: parents choosing fewer, better objects. Our educational wooden toys for toddlers reflect that renewed preference for playthings that earn their keep.
Who Still Makes Wooden Toys in Britain Today and What Keeps the Tradition Alive
Britain still makes wooden toys, and the people who do it tend to share a stubbornness about how it should be done. Some are small independent workshops; some, like Jaques of London, are long-established firms that never stopped. The common thread is a refusal to let craft slip into pure automation.
What keeps the tradition alive is partly demand and partly standards. Modern British-made toys are tested against BS EN 71, the key safety standard covering mechanical and physical properties, flammability and chemical safety. Part 1 deals with matters such as sharp edges and small parts — precisely the details a maker of children's toys must get right. That framework gives parents confidence that a traditional object meets contemporary expectations.
Materials have moved on too. Responsible makers now work with FSC-certified timber, so the wood in a modern set can be traced to a managed source. Our thinking on this sits in our writing on sustainable wooden toys, and it runs through our wooden toys as a whole.
The forms, though, have barely changed. A set of skittles, a rocking horse, a race game, a puzzle cut from a printed board — these descend directly from the toys of the nursery and the parlour. Our traditional games and our children toys carry that lineage plainly.
That is what really keeps the tradition alive: the toys still work. A child today plays with blocks much as a Victorian child did, and learns much the same things. The best of our educational toys for toddlers prove the point. Good design, it turns out, does not date.
Frequently Asked Questions About Wooden Toy Uk
Where did wooden toys originate?
Wooden toys have ancient origins spanning multiple civilisations. Archaeological finds show wooden dolls, animals, and spinning tops in ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome, dating back thousands of years. Craftsmen across Europe, particularly in Germany's Erzgebirge region, developed strong wooden toy-making traditions from the medieval period onwards. Scandinavia and Eastern Europe also have deep-rooted histories of carved wooden playthings. Wooden toys were not invented in any single place; rather, they emerged independently wherever wood was plentiful and craftsmanship flourished, making them arguably humanity's oldest and most universal category of plaything.
When were wooden toys first made in Britain?
Wooden toys have been made in Britain since at least the medieval period, though precise early records are scarce. By the Tudor era, carved wooden figures, hobby horses, and spinning tops were common children's playthings. A significant documented milestone came in 1767, when London cartographer John Spilsbury created the jigsaw puzzle by mounting a map on wood and cutting around the countries — one of the earliest recorded British wooden educational toys. By the Victorian era, British manufacturing had made wooden toys widely accessible across different social classes.
Is the wooden toy a British invention?
Wooden toys are not uniquely a British invention; they predate recorded British history and were made independently across ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, and Asia. However, Britain made notable contributions to the form. London cartographer John Spilsbury is credited with creating the jigsaw puzzle around 1767, mounting a map on wood and cutting around the countries to create an educational tool — one of the earliest documented wooden educational toys. British makers and companies, including Jaques of London, established 1795, also helped shape the commercial wooden games and toys industry significantly.
Who invented the wooden push along toy?
No single inventor of the wooden push along toy is definitively recorded. Push along toys — wheeled wooden animals or figures pulled or pushed on a string or stick — appear in ancient Egyptian and Greek artefacts, suggesting origins thousands of years old. Across medieval and early modern Europe, craftsmen produced them widely. In Britain, they became nursery staples by the Victorian period. The design evolved organically across cultures rather than through one invention, making the wooden push along toy one of the most universally developed playthings in human history rather than a credited individual creation.
Why are wooden toys so expensive in the UK?
Wooden toys typically cost more than plastic equivalents because of the materials and manufacturing involved. Quality wooden toys use sustainably sourced timber, which carries higher raw material costs than mass-produced plastic. Skilled craftsmanship, hand-finishing, sanding, and non-toxic paint application add to production time and labour costs. Many wooden toy makers produce smaller batches compared to large plastic toy manufacturers, reducing economies of scale. Additionally, compliance with BS EN 71 — the British and European toy safety standard covering mechanical, physical, flammability, and chemical properties — requires rigorous testing, which smaller producers factor into pricing.
Are wooden toys better than plastic toys for toddlers?
Wooden toys offer particular qualities that suit toddler development well. Their weight and tactile texture provide sensory feedback that lightweight plastic often cannot. Simple wooden toys encourage open-ended, imaginative play rather than directing children toward a single outcome. They are generally more durable and less likely to break into sharp fragments. Environmentally, sustainably sourced wood is more biodegradable than most plastics. That said, both materials can be safe and developmentally appropriate when they meet BS EN 71, the British and European toy safety standard covering mechanical properties, flammability, and chemical safety, including limits on hazardous substances.
What is the oldest toy company in Britain?
Jaques of London, established in 1795, is one of the oldest surviving games and toys manufacturers in the world, and among the oldest in Britain. The company has produced games, sporting equipment, and traditional toys for over two centuries, making it a rare example of continuous operation within the British games and toys trade. Its long history spans croquet sets, chess sets, and various traditional games, giving it a catalogue that reflects changing tastes in British leisure across more than 200 years of trading.
Why are traditional wooden toys making a comeback?
Traditional wooden toys have regained popularity in the UK for several interconnected reasons. Growing environmental awareness has led many families to favour sustainably sourced wood over single-use plastic. Screen fatigue has increased interest in open-ended, screen-free play objects. Wooden toys are perceived as more durable and longer-lasting, offering better long-term value. There is also a broader cultural appreciation for craftsmanship and heritage goods. Companies such as Jaques of London, established 1795, represent continuity in quality making that appeals to consumers seeking alternatives to disposable, trend-driven plastic toys dominating mainstream retail.
Are wooden toys safe for babies in the UK?
Wooden toys sold legally in the UK must comply with BS EN 71, the British and European toy safety standard. Part 1 covers mechanical and physical properties, including requirements around sharp edges and small parts that pose choking risks — particularly relevant for babies and young children. The standard also covers flammability and chemical properties, ensuring paints, stains, and finishes meet limits on hazardous substances. When purchasing wooden toys for babies, look for BS EN 71 compliance markings and check that any toy is age-appropriately labelled, as some wooden toys contain small components unsuitable for very young children.
What wooden toys were popular in Victorian England?
Victorian children played with a range of wooden toys across different social classes. Hobby horses, wooden dolls and doll's house furniture, skittles, spinning tops, cup-and-ball toys, and Noah's Arks with carved wooden animals were all common. Jigsaw puzzles, pioneered in Britain by John Spilsbury around 1767, had become established educational toys by the Victorian era. Building blocks were considered improving playthings suited to the period's emphasis on learning through play. The Young V&A in Bethnal Green, London, which holds one of the UK's largest collections of historic toys, preserves many examples of Victorian wooden playthings.
Explore more from our workshop: our wooden toys, our children toys, our educational toys for toddlers, our traditional games, adhd screen time wooden toys children, are wooden toys safe for children 8 things every parent should know, best eco toys uk 2026 sustainable wooden toys jaques of, best educational wooden toys for toddlers uk 2026 jaques o and best montessori toys for toddlers uk 2026 wooden educati — every piece made to the same standard Jaques has held since 1795.