By 
Pendelfin was born in 1953, in the shadow of Pendle “Witch” Hill near Burnley in Lancashire in northern England. It started out as little more than a hobby for Jean Walmsley Heap (JWH) and Jeannie Todd, working out of a log cabin in Jeannie’s backyard. But this hobby soon became an obsession and a successful business as the Pendelfin family grew and grew.
Pendle’s Witch
The first PenDelfin piece was inspired by the Pendle Witch and took the form of a molded wall plaque. This was followed by The Fairy Shop, a large three-dimensional wall plaque based on an original JWH painting.
Witches remained a popular theme, and more witch-based models were produced, such as Cauldron Witch, Pixie House, and on a completely different theme, the famous little Thrifty, modeled at the request of JWH’s part-time employers, the Burnley. Building society.
The Rabbit Revolution
In 1956, a small family of rabbits was modeled for the first time. This turned out to be a turning point for PenDelfin, as the first batch of rabbits sold out almost instantly. Repeat orders began to pour in and attention began to focus almost exclusively on the production of PenDelfin’s signature rabbit models, all with carefully thought out character and story!
A band of musically-inclined rabbits, rabbit bookends, uncles, aunts, and of course the original father and mother rabbits all followed, as well as many other young and lively characters and various large, lovingly modeled stands to provide a backdrop to the village of PenDelfin. how it became.
PenDelfin expands: a bigger factory for a global market
PenDelfin continued to expand and while it had its trials and tribulations, in the 1970s it was a well-established company in Burnley, occupying a large portion of a former mill building and sending members of the PenDelfin family to enthusiastic collectors around the world. .
The PenDelfin Collectors Club was founded in 1992, with “Family Circle” pieces produced each year for club members only, some of which have become quite in demand today.
The end?
PenDelfin was sold to a collectibles company in 2005, and in 2006 the Burnley factory closed as production was outsourced overseas. Whether because of this or despite it, older Pendelfin pieces are becoming increasingly rare and collectible, with rarities like Aunt Agatha and the Rabbit Bookends charging hefty prices as collectors seek out early pieces to buy. complete your collections.