For me there is nothing more evocative than the miniature monuments, Grand Tour Relics and Intricate Carvings that I collect.

I am mesmerised by these exquisitely carved iconic buildings, reduced to a a small scale in the most intricate detail.

Thinking back there could have been two moments in my childhood that ignited the fascination with small worlds. The first created by my Grandmother who would take me to the bottom of her garden in Catford and create a small world for the fairies within clumps of moss to my utter delight. The second was being taken to the Walter Potter museum on Brighton Pier, where I was immediately pulled into the cased vignettes of small imaginary worlds of the stuffed animals.

I have collected miniatures ever since. One of the most famous being the small stuffed Chihuahua that I added to the 2012 Christies auction of my collection that reached the infamous bid of £15,000! As I have written before, since the auction I couldn’t resist to collect again…

Now I have the miniature monument to love – the Taj Mahal.

I love that these pieces now evoke the same fascination in my son who I find playing with the Pantheon, snaking one of his tiny cars through the pillars!