A proud pensioner has spent 26 years creating the ultimate life-like dolls house.

一名充滿活力的退休老人花費26年的時間打造出了一座高仿真娃娃屋。

Leonard Martin constructed the intricate house from scratch as a way to fill his time.

倫納德?馬丁（Leonard Martin）從零開始建造了這座精致的娃娃屋，最初只是為了打發時間。

But he soon became hooked and started to make it as real looking as possible, spending ￡6,000 on the masterpiece.

但不久他就迷上了這項業余愛好，竭盡可能地令其更加逼真， 并為此投入了6000英鎊（約56764元人民幣）。

Now, the 6ft-long labour of love has six lavish rooms complete with cavity walls, marble and wood floors, soft furnishings and one-of-a-kind artwork.

凝結著倫納德多年心血的這座6英尺（約1.8米）長的娃娃屋有6間豪華的房間，由空心墻相隔，地上鋪有大理石和木地板，室內陳設考究，還掛有獨一無二的畫作。

The 70-year-old said: "It is unbelievable, if I even say so myself."

這位70歲的老人說：“這令人難以置信，連我自己都忍不住要感嘆。”

Ceilings are painted plaster, which have been gilded with 24ct gold leaf, while the chandeliers feature ￡100 worth of Swarovski crystals.

娃娃屋的天花板涂有鍍了24克拉金箔的灰泥，懸掛的枝形吊燈上嵌有價值100英鎊（約946元人民幣）的施華洛世奇水晶。

Each wooden floorboard is individually laid and French polished and each room is delicately illuminated by tiny electric lights and glowing fireplaces.

木地板是一塊塊單獨鋪設的，并經過法式打蠟。每一間房都精心配置了小巧的電燈和燃燒的壁爐來照明。

He even commissioned a friend of a friend, famous for creating the artwork in King Farouk's palace in Egypt, to paint the delicate works of art for each room.

他甚至還委托朋友的朋友為每個房間都畫了一幅精美的畫，那名畫家因曾為埃及國王法魯克的宮殿創作藝術作品而聞名。

Leonard said: "I had it on display for the public to raise money for the local village hall then I had to move it back to my work shop where it's still sitting on a table.

倫納德說：“我曾通過公開展覽這座娃娃屋給當地的村務廳籌錢。這之后我得把它搬回我店里的桌子上，現在它也還在那里放著。”

"It took four people to lift it into place so it won't be moving any time soon! I have also built a fantastic funfair, it took me seven years.

“當時四個人合力才把它抬起來放到合適的位置，所以短時間內它不會換地方了！我還花了7年時間做了個非常棒的游樂場。”

"I'm 70 now so I'm a bit too old to do it, I would make more houses if I had somewhere to put them, but they are so big and too heavy to do now."

“我現在70歲了，老了要干不動了。如果還有空間放它們，我會做更多的娃娃屋。不過現在它們太大太重，很難做了。”

Leonard hopes to sell the house to a stately home or something similar to preserve it - even putting a miniature 'for sale' sign on the front lawn.

倫納德希望能把房子賣給一座開放參觀的豪宅或者類似的地方保存娃娃屋。他甚至在屋前的草坪上像模像樣地擺上了一塊寫著“待售”二字的微型牌子。

Vocabulary

life-like: 栩栩如生的

intricate: 復雜精細的

from scratch: 從零開始，白手起家

hooked: 被…迷住的

cavity wall: 空心墻

plaster: 灰泥

gild: 給…鍍金

chandelier: 枝形吊燈

floorboard: 地板

illuminate: 照亮

commission: 委托

funfair: 游樂場

stately home: (尤指向公眾開放的)豪宅

miniature: 微型的

（譯者：orchismessi 編輯：劉明）