A while ago, in the Virgin Trains Black Friday Sale, there were some cheap return tickets from Manchester to London, so my sister and I decided to book them and make a day trip of it. Having been to the usual tourist attractions before, we were then left unsure of what to do while we were there. After a quick Google and a look round I came across the Winnie the Pooh exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum and as big Disney fans I couldn’t think of anything more perfect.
The exhibition is almost completely about the original Winnie the Pooh stories written by A.A Milne, rather than the Disney version. Throughout the exhibit you’ll find out about Alan’s (the author) life, family, career and most importantly how the Winnie the Pooh series came to be.
There’s wonderful décor throughout; the walls are lined with props and matching quotes from the books, whether it be Pooh clinging to balloons floating above your head or a life size version of Poohsticks bridge, there’s plenty to see.
Throughout the exhibit, there’s loads of the original artwork and sketches, extracts from the books and props from the Goodbye Christopher Robin film. There’s also cases filled with memorabilia from around the world, such as teddy bears from Russia, Cath Kidston clothing from their very popular range and even a tea-set that was presented to Princess Elizabeth.
If you’re thinking of going with little ones don’t worry, there’s stuff for them to do too. There were familiar faces of friendly characters throughout the displays, there’s a slide and little rabbit holes for them to walk through, a colouring station and a Poohsticks Bridge for them to have a play on.
After you’ve finished having a good look round, of course you exit through the gift shop, where you can purchase some lovely souvenirs. There’s little toys for kids, copies of the A.A.Milne books and expensive prints of the original artwork you’ve seen in the exhibit. My favourite bits and the things that I bought were my very own Winnie the Pooh and little postcard prints. The bear himself was a bit overpriced at £25, so fairly expensive, but the postcards were 5 for £3 or 75p each, which I didn’t think was bad since they look just like the ones inside the exhibition.
Overall, I think that the Winnie the Pooh exhibition is worth a visit if you get a chance. It’s both interesting and entertaining and a lovely way to spend an afternoon.
It’s on now and finishes on Sunday 8th April 2018. You can book tickets in advance online or buy them once you get to the museum, but I would book ahead of time so that you get the time slot that suits you and don’t have to worry about queues once you’re there.
It’s reasonably priced at £8 for an adult and free for children up to 11 with an accompanying paying adult. There are also concession tickets and group family tickets available too.
More information is available at the link below, should you want to find out more.
Victoria & Albert Museum – Winnie-the-Pooh: Exploring a Classic
Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post or paid for advertisement. It is just a review of the exhibition and my experience there.