A selection of the many farm animals, workers and equipment produced by Britains. The company began production of its model farm set in 1923 following World War One when the trend was against military toys. The farm sets were popular with boys and girls and Britains built a new factory to maintain production. The company continued to develop the range of figures in the farm series and by 1940 it listed 62 different animals in its catalogue. The range of farm workers and farming implements, fencing, hedges and trees also continued to expand.

William Britain established his toy manufacturing business in 1845, initially making mechanical toys. Then in the 1890s his eldest son, also William, developed a method of producing hollow-cast metal figures. For many years toy soldiers were the company's specialty, cast accurately and hand-painted for exact detail. The expansion into 'peace toys' following World War One led to the development of the model farm set, the hunting series, circus and zoo sets, in addition to the soldiers and, later, military equipment. In 1953 Britains famously produced a model of the Queen's Coronation Coach.

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Gardiner, Gordon. The all-colour directory of metal toys: a pictorial guide to the art of collecting international playthings, Sydney: Lansdowne, c1984

King, Constance Eileen. The encyclopedia of toys, Adelaide: Rigby, 1978

Opie, James. Britains toy soldiers, 1893-1932, London: V. Gollancz, 1985

Hampshire Museums Service: Childhood collection. A brief history of toys. Models and miniature toys

Powerhouse Museum Collection: search for 'Britains toy figures'

Victoria and Albert Museum: Museum of Childhood. Collections: Toys: Toy manufacturers. Britains

W. Britain: the history

State Library of South Australia: Mortlock Wing exhibitions. To be a child August 2004-