Paddington in Paddington

Last October’s trip to London got off to a rocky start when my hotel cancelled on me less than 12 hours before check in. Although I was offered an alternative it wasn’t in a particularly convenient location for what I had planned so I ended up doing some pretty intensive searching myself that lead me to a hotel offering a last minute deal near Hyde Park and Paddington Train Station. This was quite handy as it allowed me to finally visit the Paddington statue at the station and, as I was to discover, another temporary Paddington statue in the area.

Made in bronze by Marcus Cornish in 2000 he currently sits waiting for the Brown family to discover him at Platform 1. Just up from the statue is this book bench which was proving even more popular than the statue so I had to wait for a few moments to get this picture. Designed by Michelle Heron it was originally part of the National Literary Trust’s Books About Town art trail and is a now a permanent fixture at the station.

Another lovely statue is one of 23 that were displayed around the UK as part of the advertising for the third Paddington Movie, Paddington in Peru (a lovely addition to the franchise). It was part of a Paddington Visits trail where you could travel around the UK and find them all if you were so inclined. This one was in Connaught Village near Paddington.