My father, Laurence St.Leger, who has died aged 76, was a giant in the world of miniatures, and delighted collectors with his hand-crafted doll’s house miniatures and miniature automata.
Laurence and his wife and co-creator, Angela, became rock stars in the world of 1:12 scale (the traditional ratio used for miniatures) and the pieces they made are esteemed for their exacting scale, perfect craftsmanship, eye for detail and humour.
Born in London, to Maude Wright, a dressmaker, and Henry St.Leger, an upholsterer, Laurence grew up in Merstham, Surrey and in 1969 left Albury Manor school at 17 to start work as a watchmaker. In the same year he met Angela Abbott at a dance and they married in 1972. Later, our family settled in Bridport, Dorset.
In 1977, while repairing watches in Tanners Jewellers in Redhill, Surrey, Laurence was asked to create a set of fire irons for a doll’s house collector. He rose to the challenge and was soon creating more and more items for increasingly eager collectors. From then on, he focused entirely upon creating 1:12 scale wonders.
Soon Laurence and Angela hit upon the idea of a series of detailed and technically complex miniature automata. These delighted both doll’s house collectors and those simply beguiled by the curious and witty contraptions. Among them are Samson the Strongman, a leopard-spotted-leotard-sporting strongman who lifts heavy dumbbells above his head; Muscular Mouse, a rodent raising a mouse trap to get to the cheese; and a beautiful dragon that flaps its wings.
Artists, directors and actors collected his work, and in 1992 Laurence made props for the TV film Fleabites, starring Nigel Hawthorne, about a man who ran a flea circus. Dad made a tiny silver-plated galleon that the fleas would pull along and he also made the fleas, using miniature fly-tying techniques.
In 2015 he won the inaugural Perfection in Miniature award (PIMA) at the Kensington Doll’s House festival in London, for his intricately detailed, fully working miniature Swiss Army knife, complete with tweezers, toothpick, functioning scissors and multiple blades. As he was a collector and penknife obsessive himself, it was a dream project, and the knife is now in the Victorinox museum in Switzerland.
Though he never thought of himself as an artist, Laurence was incredibly imaginative, especially when pushing what could be done on such a small scale. Both my parents worked ceaselessly to better their craft, and in 2020 they jointly entered a fully-functioning gents’ umbrella for that year’s PIMAs, and won.
Beyond the world of miniatures, Laurence was a funny, kind and generous man with a passion for fishing, aeroplanes, magic, kites and all things to do with Admiral Nelson. He loved nothing more than hanging out with his family and indulging in absurdity.
Laurence is survived by Angela, their two sons, Samuel and me, and his grandson, Emmett.
