“Half memoir, half travel, A Yank Back to England...is an absolutely wonderful book, not only about going home again but also about love and family and tradition and the passage of the years.”
—Michael Dirda, Pulitzer Prize-winning literary critic (Washington
Post)
To see the entire quote, click here.

Friday, March 6, 2009

Pooh's emblazoned corner

Hartfield was on the bottom edge of Ashdown Forest, a small, pretty village with a teashop, a couple of pubs, and a few stores, one of which had been renamed Pooh Corner. The very same village shop where A. A. Milne’s son, the real-life Christopher Robin, once got his weekly ration of sweets and candies. Every bit of available space in the tiny shop was devoted to Pooh and his pals. Everything. From doorstops to gob stoppers, everything was emblazoned with the bear. Even so, the shop had retained its charm and I could easily imagine Milne and his son ambling in from their summer home, just a little way up the hill.

2 comments:

Amy said...

I've enjoyed your Winnie the Pooh posts. I loved to read the books when I was a kid, and would really enjoy visiting this place. I'm in London currently, and was wondering if it would be easy to get there from here?

The Prodigal Tourist said...

Thanks D&A! This might actually be a good time to go--it was very crowded when we went. It's about 20 miles from Gatwick, very easy with a car (also more convenient once there, as 100 acre woods is quite a ways from Pooh Corner). If you take the train, you have to catch a bus from Tunbridge Wells or East Grinstead. I'll post a link to Pooh Corner under "in the prodigal's footsteps" -- the website has detailed directions. And do let me know if you go!