THIS weekend saw the launch of a brand-new exhibition at Tullie House which explores the nation’s favourite bear.

The Carlisle-based art gallery and museum introduced the ‘Paddington: The Story of a Bear:’ exhibition on Saturday. The event, created by the British Library, makes its first stop of a nationwide tour in the city, and will be based at Tullie House for three months.

Located right next to the reception, the exhibition features a wide variety of historic memorabilia that have been around since Michael Bond’s first book, ‘A Bear Called Paddington’, which was released in 1958. Highlights include:

• First edition of A Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond given to his parents, illustrated by Peggy Fortnum, published by HarperCollins Publishers in 1958

• Original illustrations of Paddington stories by artists including Peggy Fortnum, David McKee and R.W. Alley

• A selection of memorabilia owned by Michael Bond on loan from his family, including Bond’s typewriter used in the 1960s

Tullie House have added some features to the event, making it more interactive for families who visit. Costumes are placed for both children and parents to dress up as Paddington and Mr and Mrs Brown, as well as a dice and a box where you must guess what is inside to create your own Paddington story. Clips from some of the film and TV adaptations and a sound recording of Bond talking about the process of creating Paddington’s stories will also be played.

Also included in the exhibition are letters from people who have travelled across the globe and now call Carlisle their home, drawing comparisons to Paddington’s travels from Peru to London’s Paddington Station, where the Brown family found and later adopted him.

Jill Goodfellow, Exhibitions Manager at Tullie House said: “Tullie House is thrilled to be the first touring venue for Paddington: The Story of a Bear created by the British Library. The amazing illustrations and original books will give lifelong fans a wonderful blast from the past, while younger visitors can get caught up in the magic and adventure of Paddington with fun and interactive activities. We’re so excited to have a new exhibition for the whole family to enjoy over the winter months.”

'Paddington: The Story of a Bear at Tullie House' is included with the cost of general admission.