You certainly don’t need to be a collector of marbles, or a collector at all to be charmed by the quant specificity of House of Marbles in Bovey Tracey. There are plenty of marbles to be purchased, along with other gifts you may recognise, but this is as much a museum as it is a shop.
Set in an old pottery building, on the edge of Dartmoor National Park, House of Marbles has been welcoming guests since 1973. We visited during a summer trip to Devon, drawn in to the attraction out of curiosity and also because it provided an opportunity for Sam to add another pressed penny to her collection.
In addition to the House of Marbles’ onsite glassworks, Teign Valley Glass Studio, there are four exhibits to be browsed; Marbles, Games, Pottery and Glass.
As a pinball fan, I was particularly impressed by the collection of ‘machines’ in the Games section. A far cry from the Stern and Bally produced arcade games we’d typically associate with pinball, but these demonstrate the journey the hobby took and were likely more accessible than the multi thousand pound price tag you’d pay for a more modern pinball machine.
I was also intrigued by this collection of quite detailed figurines in the Pottery area from the 1940s called ‘Our Gang’. I’ve written before about figures and collectables in general providing a tangible representation of fandom. These pottery creations of wartime characters offer similar value for the owner, celebrating their heroes of the era.
Perhaps the most enchanting feature across each of the exhibits are the collection of marble runs, crafted for House of Marbles by the renowned artist Alex Schmid. The largest of the three ‘Snooki’ utilises snooker balls as the marble.
House of Marbles produce a variety of their own traditional toys that bear the location name in the branding. These travel far beyond their West Country home and there’s a good chance you may have received or gifted one. I’ve been on opposite sides of the UK and spotted their products for sale in other museum gift shops.
As well as a pressed penny Sam also came away with a new addition to her robot collection.
The House of Marbles attraction, shop and restaurant are open 7 days a week throughout the year, with the exception of Christmas Day, Boxing Day, Easter Sunday and New Years Day. It’s free to enter and so is the parking, making this a perfect road trip stop off. For more details visit houseofmarbles.com
Liam Toms 