Paddington Bear has returned to his home on Platform 1 in the eponymous railway station, after a temporary move to the other side of the station resulted in an outpouring of complaints.
The Paddington Bear statue was moved from under the clock arch to the other side of the station when the Elizabeth line opened earlier this year, which Network Rail said was necessary as the statue would have stood in the middle of an evacuation route. Sadly, the location chosen on the far side of the station did feel rather like a shabby corner than a proud spot to have chosen. Being next to the cornish pasty store didn’t help for the famous lover of marmalade sandwiches.
So the statue has moved back to Platform 1, to a location close to the large clock.
(c) Network Rail
Michael Bond’s obituary in The Guardian described the statue as “one of the few memorials in London to inspire real affection. Passengers pose sitting on its plinth, eating sandwiches.
Now that it’s back on Platform One, sandwiches can once more be munched beside the bear.
Plans are also afoot to secure the prized Paddington Bear statue an even more prominent position at London Paddington, with a permanent spot nearer to the main station concourse.
Susan Evans, Network Rail’s Head of Stations and Passenger Experience, said: “The Paddington Bear statue is synonymous with our London Paddington station and we are working on identifying a new prominent permanent position for him nearer to the main station concourse. This will undoubtedly be welcome news to the many Paddington Bear supporters as well as enhancing the experience of our passengers, particularly those with young children. We look forward to providing an update on these plans in due course.”
Although a lot of people associate the statue with Platform One, thanks to a certain movie, as it happens, the statue, created by the sculptor Marcus Cornish didn’t start there. When it was unveiled by Michael Bond in 2000, it originally sat inside the shopping area at the back of the station. It was only moved in 2014 to Platform One when the shopping area was revamped, and a green plaque was added to the wall close to the statue’s new location to explain it’s meaning.
Adding to the confusion, Network Rail doesn’t own the statue, it belongs to the Paddington Bear shop.
Paddington doesn’t have much of a “front entrance” given the hotel in the way. The slip road we all got used to using for the 146 years of CrossRail construction is not very salubrious (yet) – choked with smokers (geddit?) and vans. However, the new Elizabeth Line entrance from Eastbourne Terrace is actually quite nice – nicer than the old taxi rank approach. So that side is probably the best for the bear
During our recent period of national mourning, it was festooned with red roses too.
Please take care of this bear