diff --git a/docs/changes.txt b/docs/changes.txt
index 973417ae5b..04bce2249d 100644
--- a/docs/changes.txt
+++ b/docs/changes.txt
@@ -345,6 +345,7 @@ All (GUI):
 - Added wxWindow::AlwaysShowScrollbars() (Julian Scheid).
 - Added wxMouseEvent::GetClickCount() (Julian Scheid).
 - Added wxBG_STYLE_TRANSPARENT background style (Julian Scheid).
+- Added support for drop-down toolbar buttons to XRC.
 - Added XRCSIZERITEM() macro for obtaining sizers from XRC (Brian Vanderburg II).
 - New and improved wxFileCtrl (Diaa Sami and Marcin Wojdyr).
 - Added wxEventBlocker class (Francesco Montorsi).
diff --git a/docs/doxygen/overviews/xrc_format.h b/docs/doxygen/overviews/xrc_format.h
index 324ecb909d..042b2f08bb 100644
--- a/docs/doxygen/overviews/xrc_format.h
+++ b/docs/doxygen/overviews/xrc_format.h
@@ -1441,6 +1441,8 @@ properties:
      Item's kind is wxITEM_RADIO (default: 0)?}
 @row3col{toggle, @ref overview_xrcformat_type_bool,
      Item's kind is wxITEM_CHECK (default: 0)?}
+@row3col{dropdown, see below,
+     Item's kind is wxITEM_DROPDOWN (default: 0)? (@since 2.9.0)}
 @row3col{tooltip, @ref overview_xrcformat_type_text,
     Tooltip to use for the tool (default: none).}
 @row3col{longhelp, @ref overview_xrcformat_type_text,
@@ -1449,7 +1451,11 @@ properties:
      Is the tool initially disabled (default: 0)?}
 @endTable
 
-@c radio and @c toggle are mutually exclusive.
+The presence of a @c dropdown property indicates that the tool is of type
+wxITEM_DROPDOWN. It must be either empty or contain exactly one wxMenu @ref
+xrc_wxmenu child object defining the drop-down button associated menu.
+
+Notice that @c radio, @c toggle and @c dropdown are mutually exclusive.
 
 Children that are neither @c tool nor @c separator must be instances of classes
 derived from wxControl and are added to the toolbar using
@@ -1467,6 +1473,20 @@ Example:
         <bitmap>bar.png</bitmap>
         <label>Bar</label>
     </object>
+    <object class="tool" name="view_auto">
+        <bitmap>view.png</bitmap>
+        <label>View</label>
+        <dropdown>
+            <object class="wxMenu">
+                <object class="wxMenuItem" name="view_as_text">
+                    <label>View as text</label>
+                </object>
+                <object class="wxMenuItem" name="view_as_hex">
+                    <label>View as binary</label>
+                </object>
+            </object>
+        </dropdown>
+    </object>
     <object class="separator"/>
     <object class="wxComboBox">
         <content>
diff --git a/samples/xrc/rc/controls.xrc b/samples/xrc/rc/controls.xrc
index ba6a5288e7..d6b92a1d42 100644
--- a/samples/xrc/rc/controls.xrc
+++ b/samples/xrc/rc/controls.xrc
@@ -81,6 +81,25 @@
                                 <object class="wxToolBar">
                                     <style>wxTB_FLAT|wxTB_NODIVIDER</style>
                                     <margins>2,2</margins>
+                                    <object class="tool" name="New">
+                                        <bitmap stock_id="wxART_NEW"/>
+                                        <label>New</label>
+                                    </object>
+                                    <object class="tool" name="view_auto">
+                                        <bitmap stock_id="wxART_FILE_OPEN"/>
+                                        <label>View</label>
+                                        <dropdown>
+                                            <object class="wxMenu">
+                                                <object class="wxMenuItem" name="view_as_text">
+                                                    <label>View as text</label>
+                                                </object>
+                                                <object class="wxMenuItem" name="view_as_hex">
+                                                    <label>View as binary</label>
+                                                </object>
+                                            </object>
+                                        </dropdown>
+                                    </object>
+                                    <object class="separator"/>
                                     <object class="tool" name="home">
                                         <toggle>1</toggle>
                                         <bitmap stock_id="wxART_GO_HOME"/>
@@ -128,6 +147,24 @@
                                     <style>wxTB_FLAT|wxTB_NODIVIDER</style>
                                     <bg>#bbbbff</bg>
                                     <margins>2,2</margins>
+                                    <object class="tool" name="New">
+                                        <bitmap stock_id="wxART_NEW"/>
+                                        <label>New</label>
+                                    </object>
+                                    <object class="tool" name="view_auto">
+                                        <bitmap stock_id="wxART_FILE_OPEN"/>
+                                        <label>View</label>
+                                        <dropdown>
+                                            <object class="wxMenu">
+                                                <object class="wxMenuItem" name="view_as_text">
+                                                    <label>View as text</label>
+                                                </object>
+                                                <object class="wxMenuItem" name="view_as_hex">
+                                                    <label>View as binary</label>
+                                                </object>
+                                            </object>
+                                        </dropdown>
+                                    </object>
                                     <object class="tool" name="home">
                                         <toggle>1</toggle>
                                         <bitmap stock_id="wxART_GO_HOME"/>
diff --git a/src/xrc/xh_toolb.cpp b/src/xrc/xh_toolb.cpp
index c1bda2419f..0fa523baa0 100644
--- a/src/xrc/xh_toolb.cpp
+++ b/src/xrc/xh_toolb.cpp
@@ -58,23 +58,58 @@ wxObject *wxToolBarXmlHandler::DoCreateResource()
         wxItemKind kind = wxITEM_NORMAL;
         if (GetBool(wxT("radio")))
             kind = wxITEM_RADIO;
+
         if (GetBool(wxT("toggle")))
         {
             wxASSERT_MSG( kind == wxITEM_NORMAL,
                           _T("can't have both toggle and radio button at once") );
             kind = wxITEM_CHECK;
         }
-        m_toolbar->AddTool(GetID(),
-                           GetText(wxT("label")),
-                           GetBitmap(wxT("bitmap"), wxART_TOOLBAR),
-                           GetBitmap(wxT("bitmap2"), wxART_TOOLBAR),
-                           kind,
-                           GetText(wxT("tooltip")),
-                           GetText(wxT("longhelp")));
+
+        // check whether we have dropdown tag inside
+        wxMenu *menu = NULL; // menu for drop down items
+        wxXmlNode * const nodeDropdown = GetParamNode("dropdown");
+        if ( nodeDropdown )
+        {
+            wxASSERT_MSG( kind == wxITEM_NORMAL,
+                          "drop down button can't be a check/radio "
+                          "button too" );
+
+            kind = wxITEM_DROPDOWN;
+
+            // also check for the menu specified inside dropdown (it is
+            // optional and may be absent for e.g. dynamically-created
+            // menus)
+            wxXmlNode * const nodeMenu = nodeDropdown->GetChildren();
+            if ( nodeMenu )
+            {
+                wxObject *res = CreateResFromNode(nodeMenu, NULL);
+                menu = wxDynamicCast(res, wxMenu);
+                wxASSERT_MSG( menu, "invalid drop down object contents" );
+
+                wxASSERT_MSG( !nodeMenu->GetNext(),
+                              "only single menu tag allowed inside dropdown" );
+            }
+        }
+
+        wxToolBarToolBase * const
+            tool = m_toolbar->AddTool
+                             (
+                                GetID(),
+                                GetText(wxT("label")),
+                                GetBitmap(wxT("bitmap"), wxART_TOOLBAR),
+                                GetBitmap(wxT("bitmap2"), wxART_TOOLBAR),
+                                kind,
+                                GetText(wxT("tooltip")),
+                                GetText(wxT("longhelp"))
+                             );
 
         if ( GetBool(wxT("disabled")) )
             m_toolbar->EnableTool(GetID(), false);
 
+        if ( menu )
+            tool->SetDropdownMenu(menu);
+
         return m_toolbar; // must return non-NULL
     }