About Hobbys

We are proud to announce this year that 'Hobby's' has produced for you its 53rd Hobby's Annual. It was well over fifty years ago that the company's founder, Mr. W.F. Crossland, was reluctantly persuaded to try to sell a quantity of fifty high quality musical movements by his swiss brother-in-law. A classified advertisement placed in issue number two of 'Practical Householder' magazine soon had the company trading and it went from strength to strength using the original name 'Swisscross'.

Continued growth allowed Swisscross to open their first shop in Norwood High Street and over the following years the product range was broadened to include more general hobby products. To reflect this, Swisscross changed over to the Hobby's trade name that is so well known today and in 1980 the business moved to our current factory premises, which included a retail shop.

Over the years Hobby's have become well known amongst the modelling public for their comprehensive Annuals.  Revised yearly, as the name suggests, this famous catalogue runs to over 300 pages and is crammed full of all manner of model hobby products, with the product range extending into most of the different craft and modelling disciplines.

One of hobby's major product lines is dolls houses and miniatures and these fall into several categories. The most popular size for children's dolls houses is the 1/16th scale at 3/4" to the foot and Hobby's stock a vast range of kits and accessories to suit. The more serious adult collector obviously appreciates the finer details and for such enthusiasts Hobby's can supply a constantly expanding range of 1/12th scale (1" to the foot) houses, figures, furniture and fittings. One twelfth scale dolls houses and miniatures have been very popular in the USA and they have really taken off in the UK as well, with a noticeable growth in interest over the years. Such is the demand for these collector items that Hobby's now devote over 10% of their catalogue to products to this scale.

The company has also not forgotten its origins and beside dolls houses, we also stock a surprisingly large selection of musical movements, backed up by a wide range of plans and kits into which they can be fitted.

With such a diverse range of products it is not possible to mention all of the items in stock but major product lines include Hobby's brand of Match Craft kits with models being built out of matches on a cardboard base, plus a vast selection of resins, bio resins and moulds used for making jewellery and clear casts of small animals, insects and plants. Hobby's are also thought to be the U.K.'s biggest supplier of 12 volt miniature tools.

Add to these, kits for models soldiers, cars, boats, trains and planes, tools, paints and adhesives, products for pyrography, candle making, carts and caravans, plans and books, clocks, marquetry and découpage and you can begin to get a grasp of the vast assortment of items being processed by Hobby's everyday.