Free learning resources from arts, cultural and heritage organisations.

Previous section
History of Doll's Houses

Maureen Roffey

Maureen Roffey was a children’s book illustrator.

 

Maureen Roffey as a young woman with short dark hair, wearing a blue long-sleeved T-shirt, smiling while touching her neck. She is sitting on a grey checked seat in what appears to be a vintage vehicle, with a rear window behind her.
Maureen Roffey

She was born in Eltham, South-East London in 1936. She studied at Hornsea College of Art and the Royal College of Art in London, graduating in 1959. She was immediately snapped up by Associated-Rediffusion Television where she worked as a designer, creating title sequences for programmes such as Murder in Shorthand (1962), illustrations for the company magazine, and huge window displays for their central London premises. 

While working at Redfusion, Maureen made lots of contacts who helped her work on other exciting projects, such as illustrations for magazines, posters for Transport for London, and a campaign for PG Tips tea, which was displayed on double-decker buses. She created illustrations for a fashion designer called Mary Quant, which were used as labels and shop displays. This work was featured at the V&A for the Mary Quant exhibition in 2020. 

In 1971 she moved on to illustrating children’s books, including a series of baby stories for the Lego company, which were sold with Lego pieces.

The front cover of a children's picture book. The background is white, with red capital letters at the top reading Door to Door. Under this, black text says 'A split-page picture book by Maureen Roffey and Bernard Lodge'. The image on the front cover is a simple but colourful illustration of two houses. On the left, a grey-blue three-storey house with two children standing on the porch, blue front door with pink curtains, a lady hanging a curtain in the upstairs window, a pointy tower-like roof and bushes in the front garden. On the right, there is a yellow three-storey house with a child watering flowers from the porch, an old lady knitting from a chair to the left of the red front door, a girl carrying a basket up the front steps, and someone featured in an upstairs window. The front garden has lots of flowers.
Door to Door

She also started to create interactive toys, such as this doll’s house and Noah’s Ark, which were made from cardboard and children could press out the pieces to assemble themselves. 

Packaging for a Noah's Ark kit created by Maureen Roffey. The packaging is white, with an image of a colourful cardboard Noah's Ark in the centre, with pairs of cardboard animals on top and alongside it. The animals include elephants, pigs, giraffes, rabbits, pandas, crocodiles, snakes, camels, ostriches, chickens, horses, lions, zebras, sheep, and tortoises. There is a cardboard Noah, little boy and little girl standing on the Ark, and the blue roof has a pair of white doves. A little boy with blonde hair is pictured playing with the ark, placing one of the camels down. He is the creator's actual grandson, Ben. The box reads 'Noah's Ark' in black capital letters, and underneath black text says 'A sturdy cardboard kit that's easy to assemble, with wooden base blocks for the animals and family.' Beneath this is a black circle, with text inside reading 'Winner of the Tridias 2000 award'. The bottom of the box reads 'Not suitable for children under 36 months due to small parts.' and 'Printed in Malaysia.'. There is a colourful logo for the company, Toykits, in the bottom right corner.
Noah's Ark Kit

Her husband Bernard Lodge was a TV graphic designer for the BBC, and they lived in Surbiton, South-West London, with their three children. They created some books together. All three children (and later, four grandchildren) went on to work in art and design too!  

An illustration from a children's book showing a festive winter scene outside a three-story house numbered 12, decorated for Christmas. Snow is falling, and children and adults are engaged in various activities. A man carries a Christmas tree while a child in a sled is pulled behind him. Another man is shoveling snow on the sidewalk. Several people are seen inside the house, looking out from the windows, including children, adults, and a cat. A Christmas wreath hangs on the front door, and lights and garlands decorate the exterior. A lamppost and two women in winter clothing stand on the right side. The edge of a poem or text is partially visible on the right-hand page.
Door to Door

She published her final book in 2019, aged 82!