Winnie the Pooh, the adorable honey-loving bear, has been a part of the childhood of most of us. Diehard fans of Winnie the Pooh can now own a piece of Pooh’s history. Yes, you read it right. A countryside bridge from southern England is up for auction next week. In the series, the bridge is a regular setting for Winnie the Pooh and his friends.
A. A. Milne, the author of the book series, used to play with his son on this bridge. This real-life incident gave inspiration to the series. Pooh and friends are seen going on adventures on this bridge when the series was launched in the year 1926.
The bridge was built in 1907. It was christened officially Poohsticks Bridge by the late author, whose toy animals formed part of the Pooh Series in 1997. The bridge was formerly called the Posingford Bridge. The bridge was taken down in 1999 and a new one largely funded by Disney was remade.
If it fetches a quarter of a million pounds, then I won’t be surprised
“Offering it at auction is probably the biggest opportunity globally for people to reach out and be able to buy it and put it in a museum,” said James Rylands. He describes the bridge as “one of the most important iconic literary objects there is,”. He lays out hope that it can go for 250,000 pounds, way beyond the 40,000 to 60,000-pound estimate placed on Tuesday’s auction.
“When you actually talk about the history and add in the emotion and the happiness that ‘Winnie the Pooh’ has brought to generations as children and adults over the years, it is very difficult to price it,” Rylands said. “If it fetches a quarter of a million pounds, then I won’t be surprised.”
The original bridge is stored in Ashdown Forest Centre. The local Parish Council recently has permitted the restoration of the bridge. The bridge measures 8.87 meters long by 4.5 meters wide (29 feet by 15 feet). The bridge is fully restored using local oak for any missing elements. Rylands says there has been interest from around the world. But he hopes that the bridge stays local.