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Pooh Friends
Playhouse Disney My Friends Tigger and Pooh Darby's Tail Part 1
The House At Pooh Corner
Being an avid collector of Teddy Bears for the biggest part of my life and now an Old Teddy Bear Dealer too, there are not many days that go by in my life when I don't hear the name Winnie-the-Pooh. Of course, it is not surprising really as he is a bear of extraordinary character who is very well known and adored by both adults and children the world over. There are few other bears that can match this bear's following.
Winnie-the-Pooh was created 90 years ago (in the year 1921) by the famous English Teddy Bear Makers called Farnell. The history of this famous company is of course, a delight in itself. Winnie-the-Pooh was bought for a baby called Christopher Robin Milne (later to also be known as Billy Moon). He was bought by Christopher Milne's Mother, Daphne from the famous London store called Harrods. Ever since that time he has lived in a world that is stepped in history, full of magical childhood adventures which were recorded by Christopher's Father, the famous A.A. Milne. These stories were illustrated by A.A. Milne's friend, the now famous E.H. Shepherd.
The young Christopher Robin and his friend Pooh Bear grew up in a place called Cotchford Farm in Hartfield, a lovely little village hidden away in Ashford Forest which, to this day, is a very picturesque place to visit in its own right.
Throughout my childhood and indeed adulthood, I read about the little boy's adventures with his bear. I am sure unintentionally it had an impact on my growing up years. I never really knew that Christopher Robin's adventures with Pooh took place in a ‘real ‘ part of the country, but as soon as I did, I knew that one day I would have to visit.
It was a lovely September morning, although there was some heavy rain clouds in the sky, when I and some friends decided to go on the Pooh Trail. We took along an old Farnell Teddy Bear with us that we have had for some time. This old bear we found many years ago, the poor old thing had practically died but after a lot of hefty restoration, he came back to life. He was born the same time as Pooh Bear and we like to think of him as Pooh's cousin, his name – Billy Moon, of course.
Driving through the lovely Ashford Forest, I could certainly see why Pooh and Christopher Robin's adventures were magical. What better place could a boy and his bear want?
As we approach the village of Hartfield, we rounded the corner, only to be confronted by The House At Pooh Corner. This building was originally owned by the Jacques family and was run as the village Bakery. It was here that young Christopher Robin would visit with his Nanny (Nanny Nou) and Pooh Bear to buy his favourite sweets – bulls eyes. In 1978 it was bought by a young potter called Mike Ridley who made pottery houses with animals inside, one of these he called ‘Wol's House'. Mike realised, just in time, that in October 1928, just fifty years before, it had been the publishing date of The House At Pooh Corner. Within a few weeks the pottery was converted into a Gift Shop which he then called ‘Pooh Corner'.
On approaching the shop on foot, my excitement built up. Finally, after so many years, I was looking straight at The House At Pooh Corner, a place of very high importance to Winnie-the-Pooh fans everywhere.
Once inside the shop we found loads of wonderful souvenirs which of course, I couldn't resist. There were bookmarks, mugs, key fobs and a stack of honey jars (I bought one of course, for Billy Moon, which he could take home and share with his other bear friends). The staff fell in love with him and they all took it in turns to give him a cuddle, which he really enjoyed. At last his pride and dignity was restored. Many customers in the shop that day also stopped and gave him a cuddle. We looked in the Cafe and, although we would love to have stopped for honey sandwiches and a cup of tea, we decided we would carry on towards Pooh Bridge before the rain came.
On leaving the shop, we took lots of photographs of ourselves and Billy Moon outside the shop to show to our friends.
Next, we drove off in search of Poohsticks Bridge, to me the most memorable and magical of places in the Pooh Bear stories. Posingford Bridge that crosses Posingford Brook, was originally built in 1907 to enable felled trees from the Forest to be transported. The timbers were carried by horses which is why the bridge was built so wide, like the track on the other side.
So, we followed our maps which were given to us by the staff at Pooh Corner, we drove into Pooh Car Park, which is easy to find, you just follow the signs saying ‘Pooh Car Park. Pooh Bridge was also very clearly marked. We left the car and proceeding on foot walking down a slight incline where we passed other Pooh Bear fans who stopped to say hello and admire Billy Moon. We also spent sometime gathering Pooh Sticks, this was lots of fun. The walk to Pooh Bridge from the car park takes about half an hour and that includes the time spent choosing your Pooh Stick. The walk takes you through the Forest and all the while my imagination wandered back in time to a little boy and his bear wandering in the same direction that we were taking. How wonderful it must have been.
On approaching Pooh Bridge, we could hear the sound of children's laughter and when we arrived there was adults and children playing Pooh Sticks, so it was time that we joined in. I won!!!!!!! Billy Moon was once again the star of the show and he really enjoyed having his photograph taken with some children and two Japanese ladies. It really is the magical place that I had read about. Whilst there we saw horses and dogs cross the bridge and, was it my imagination or did I see a little boy and his bear pass by?
We carried on our journey a little further on, as we wanted to see the famous Plaque which was laid down in honour of A.A. Milne and E.H. Shepherd which overlooks the Forest but, unfortunately the weather was changing and it started to rain.
I would have loved to see the plaque but on the other hand I am glad I didn't see it, as it means I will have to return one day.
It is a day in my life that I will never forget, as I am sure all Pooh Bear fans will understand and will I return some day......You Bet!!
About the Author
Gino loves fast cars, especially fast italian cars. Gino also loves anything Italian. Gino also heads an old teddy bear site which is full of adorable Old Teddy Bears and their friends.
Please visit his website at www.ginosbears.co.uk
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