In the two years since it opened, the Mill Toy & Pedal Car Museum has become a must-visit for overgrown children of all ages.

Founded by Brighton’s Phil Collins, who set out to collect all the toys his family was too poor to afford when he was a child, the Northiam museum in East Sussex is internationally renowned for its collections, which include every type of pedal car, from the massproduced Austin J40 of the 1950s to the rare 1936 Tri- Ang Streamline, plus replica motorcycles, scooters, aeroplanes, boats, Dinky toys, dolls and antique memorabilia.

Now Collins’ efforts have been officially recognised and he has taken the Guinness World Record for the world’s largest collection of pedal vehicles.

“I knew it was a large collection but I didn’t realise it was the largest in the world.

It’s a dream come true for me.”

He began collecting in his early 30s with his income from his glazing business.

The youngest of eight children, he had grown up on the Moulsecoomb estate admiring such expensive toys from afar. He had to leave school at the age of 14 to supplement the family income, when he worked as a stable lad and barman, and then as a glazier’s assistant.

When he finally had enough money for luxuries, he spotted a pedal car model of an E-type Jaguar and “an obsession was born”.

Collins picked up pedal vehicles at junk shops, markets and from helpful binmen who’d find them left out for collection. At one stage, he says, they had no real value and were regularly thrown out in skips. Then he started travelling further afield to supplement his collection – America, Canada, Russia and the Philippines.

He once drove to the borders of Poland and back in 24 hours to pick up a toy Bugatti.

His collection was kept in storage for many years until a friend suggested Collins put it on display so other adults could also enjoy the toys.

In 2011 Collins and his wife Kathy moved into the former flour mill overlooking the Kent and East Sussex Railway and opened the museum.

Now in his early 60s and the proud owner of more than 400 pedal vehicles by manufacturers including Bugatti, Jaguar, Maserati, Mercedes, Lotus and Triumph, he has no plans to stop collecting any time soon.

“When you see the engineering of some of these cars – especially those built in the 1800s – you can’t fail to be impressed. These were expensive toys and everything from the upholstery to the carpentry is of the same standard as a full-sized model.

They were built to last.”

Collins receives regular calls and visits from fellow enthusiasts who bring in unusual models. He recently bought a model hearse, believed to have been made for the window of an undertakers, and has also acquired an old pedal car thought to have belonged to the young nephew of tobacco factory tycoons.

“Because there are so few records for these sorts of toys, you never quite know what you’re going to find next,”

he says.

He is not alone in his passions and the museum is a popular destination for other nostalgic adults.

“I don’t think children enjoy it as much because they just want to play on the toys and unfortunately we can’t allow it. But for adults it’s a trip down memory lane – they love it.

“I remember one occasion when I was in the workshop and heard raised voices from the museum; it turned out to be a grown-up brother and sister who had spotted a trike they had as children and were fighting about whose it had been. It brings out those strong memories.”

* The Mill Toy & Pedal Car Museum, which opened for the new season this month, is open every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.

For more information, visit www.themilltoymuseum.com