Toy story: costume designer launches museum dedicated to children’s play

Oscar-winner John Bright will put his vast collection of antique puppets, dolls and trains on show at new venue in East Sussex

John Bright is an Oscar-winning film costume designer whose talent for creating period clothing is well known to the likes of Emma Thompson and Judi Dench, or fans of Downton Abbey and Pirates of the Caribbean. But it is his collection of antique toys and puppets that is about to take centre stage.

This week hundreds of highlights from the 82-year-old's vast personal collection - including rare wooden dolls from the 1800s, a Steiff ride-on elephant and a train set last seen on the BBC's adaptation of The Borrowers - will go on display for the first time at a museum and nearby puppet theatre he has founded in East Sussex.