Valentines Mansion is hosting an exhibition of rare dolls from around the world thanks to a donation from a Woodford Green resident.

Angela Ryder, a long-term resident of Woodford Green, has spent many years amassing a collection of hand-made folk-art dolls.

Many of them pre-date the commercial era of mass-produced dolls.

Ilford Recorder: The dolls are thanks to a generous donation from a long-term resident who has collected them from around the world.The dolls are thanks to a generous donation from a long-term resident who has collected them from around the world. (Image: Vision RCL)

Angela decided to donate her collection of more than 1,000 dolls to the Grade II listed building inside Valentines Park, which will rotate them on display every few months, focusing each exhibit on a certain part of the world.

The first of the displays will illustrate the dolls, dresses, customs, history and styles of the Eastern European countries.

A spokesperson for Valentines Mansion said: "This is not merely a display of tourist souvenirs: this is folk-history, authentic folk craftsmanship, with so much for us to admire and to learn."

The free exhibit is open from 10.30am to 4pm on Sundays and Mondays.