The real-life bridge that was a major contribution to the iconic “Winnie the Pooh” sold at auction this week for more than USD 178,000 (INR 1,33,99,626). By Cailey Rizzo
The winner of the auction, Lord De La Warr who owns Buckhurst Park in England, said that “It will take pride of place on the estate,” according to the BBC.
The bridge became synonymous with the ‘Winnie the Pooh’ books as author AA Milne often played with his son, Christopher Robin, at the foot of the structure in Sussex, England in the 1920s. They would drop sticks and race to the other side of the bridge to see whose stick moved fastest. When Milne published the first book chronicling the adventures of Pooh Bear and friends, the bridge was a regular setting.
As Pooh grew more famous, so did the bridge where he and his friends played the game “Pooh Sticks.”
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“This iconic bridge, forever associated with AA Milne’s Winnie the Pooh books was originally constructed in 1907 in the Ashdown Forest as a sturdy river crossing for horses and carts as well as pedestrians,” according to the bridge’s auction listing.
In its first life, the bridge was known as Posingford Bridge. But, through the success of the books, it was officially renamed Poohsticks Bridge in 1979. Over the years, the bridge was restored and reconstructed. But by 1999, it was completely worn out from thousands and thousands of visitors. The bridge was replaced by a replica and the original was put into storage in the Ashdown Forest Centre. Recently, the local council gave permission for the bridge to be sold.
“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,” James Rylands of Summer Place Auctions, told the Associated Press.
The auction, which happened on Wednesday, coincided with the series’ 95th anniversary. To celebrate, Airbnb also recently revealed a “Bearbnb,” recreating Pooh’s home in the Hundred Acre Woods.
Related: This Winnie-The-Pooh-Themed Airbnb In England Looks Exactly Like You’d Imagine
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