To celebrate the movie Paddington there are 50 (well there are actually more as more have been added since the trail started) statues across London, which are created by artists, designers and celebrities. The trail follows the bear's favourite places in London and goes all over Central London, from Notting Hill Gate in the west to Primrose Hill in the north to Chelsea in the south-west and to Greenwich and Bethnal Green in the east and south-east. I found a map of the trail and thought it was a perfect way of seeing London.
The origins of Paddington Bear date back almost 60 years. The creator, Michael Bond, bought a small bear from Selfridges (which has three bears on the trail) on Christmas Eve 1956 as a present for his wife and named him after the nearest railway station to which they lived.
The friendly bear from deepest darkest Peru with his old hat, battered suitcase, duffle coat and love of marmalade has become a classic character from English children's literature. He is always polite, addressing people as Mr, Mrs and Miss, and kind-hearted (even though he stares hard on those who incur his disapproval). In the stories he was discovered in Paddington Station by the Brown family and has an endless capacity for getting into trouble.
The first picture is of the statue between Platforms 8 and 9 on Paddington Station, where the bear was found the first time by the Brown family. It is called 'Paddington' and is designed by Michael Bond, the man who brought him to life. This is the most traditional design on the Paddington trail.
The origins of Paddington Bear date back almost 60 years. The creator, Michael Bond, bought a small bear from Selfridges (which has three bears on the trail) on Christmas Eve 1956 as a present for his wife and named him after the nearest railway station to which they lived.
The friendly bear from deepest darkest Peru with his old hat, battered suitcase, duffle coat and love of marmalade has become a classic character from English children's literature. He is always polite, addressing people as Mr, Mrs and Miss, and kind-hearted (even though he stares hard on those who incur his disapproval). In the stories he was discovered in Paddington Station by the Brown family and has an endless capacity for getting into trouble.
The first picture is of the statue between Platforms 8 and 9 on Paddington Station, where the bear was found the first time by the Brown family. It is called 'Paddington' and is designed by Michael Bond, the man who brought him to life. This is the most traditional design on the Paddington trail.
Outside of Harrods is Emma Watson's Flutterby. When she played Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter series she worked alongside producer David Heyman, who also created the new Paddington movie.
In the window of Selfridges, the department store where Michael Bond bought the bear that gave him the idea of the story, I found Kate Moss's Goldiebear. She has dressed her Paddington entirely in luxurious gold to show just how precious he is.
Outside London Bridge station Wonders of the World, designed by Peru is found. Peru, which is Paddington's native country, would like to draw attention to the fact that Peru isn't actually that difficult to get to from London Bridge. You simply take a direct train to Gatwick where you can catch a flight to Peru. The bear shows Machu Picchu, the Inca city and UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Several bears have been added since the collection was introduced. Of the recent arrivals, which are not part of the official Paddington Trail, I got one - Paddington That. Take That painted their bear live on the Graham Norton show in 2014. The bear is next to Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason's Wish You Were Here at O2.
Toggle at the V&A Museum of Childhood Gardens at Bethnal Green is designed by award-winning artist Benjamin Shine and is the most different of all bears in the trail.
Except for its official trail bear, Bearer of Gifts, Hamley's have several bears. The one below is next to Bearer of Gifts.
As I could not feature all 53 bears that I have captured I made a collage of all of them. The large pictures are Mayor Boris Johnson's The Bear of London on the upper left, The Telegraph's Good News Bear with Big Ben in the background in the middle and television presenter Davina McCall's Paddington Jack at the bottom. Being in the Westminster area of London, where you find Buckingham Palace, Houses of Parliament, the Prime Minister's residence at 10 Downing Street and Westminster Abbey she has combined Paddington with a Union flag to create a noble looking bear. The bear is close to the Horse Guards Parade, which is one of Paddington's favourite London places as he can see the Changing the Guard here.
