Hannah McLaren©An old tea room known to locals as ‘Pooh Corner’ claims to be where the initial sketches of Winnie the Pooh were discussed and created by illustrator EH Shepard and author AA Milne.
This terraced property situated near Clifton Suspension Bridge, dates back to 1790. It served as a tea house for decades in the 1920s before it was converted into a home some time in the 50s or 60s.
The site became known locally as ‘Pooh Corner’ due to its links with the classic book series and is now being listed by Haigh estate agents as a two-bedroom house for £675,000.
During its tea house days, it was allegedly frequented by an author and a well-known artist, who are now believed to be author AA Milne and EH Shepard. The story is that this tea room was where the idea of Winnie the Pooh was fully-formed.
In the 1930s, Ernest Shepard donated the only oil painting he ever created of the ‘silly old bear’ to the tea room. This somewhat random gift is why the tea house was believed to have had a sentimental in the illustrator’s heart, perhaps because it was where he first sketched the now famous bear.
The painting hung there for many years and became such a popular feature that locals nicknamed the spot ‘Pooh Corner’.
Sadly, the painting was sold around 25 years ago for more than £124,000, and is now in a museum in Winnipeg, Canada.
The King and Queen visited the painting of Winnie the Pooh at the Pavilion Gallery in Winnipeg in 2014. Image: John Stillwell/PA.
Why was the ‘Pooh Corner’ portrait sold to a group in Winnipeg?
A group of people in Winnipeg were interested in the painting because of the city’s own link to the cartoon bear. Winnie the Pooh was inspired by a toy bear belonging to author AA Milne’s son, Christopher Robin.
The story goes that the stuffed-bear was renamed Winnie (formerly Edward), after ‘young Christopher Robin’ spotted an orphaned Canadian black bear called Winnipeg at London Zoo.
Winnipeg Art Gallery now has an entire exhibition dedicated to Winnie the Pooh, where the old ‘Pooh Corner’ oil painting now lives.
Enjoy some of our favourite Winnie the Pooh quotes
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Hannah McLaren I've worked at DC Thomson for six years! I began as an intern at My Weekly and The Scots Magazine, which was extended by a few months to help out at The People's Friend. I then covered maternity as Celebrity Editor for My Weekly, before I became Multimedia Journalist at The Scots Magazine. Currently I'm writing digital content across each title.
