Statue of Paddington Bear

A bronze statue of Paddington Bear stands at London Paddington station. The bear wears his familiar blue coat and red hat, clutching a small suitcase and a marmalade sandwich. The sculpture was made by Marcus Cornish and unveiled in 2000. It marks the link between the fictional bear and the station whose name he shares. The statue has moved twice since then, settling near Platform 1 beneath the station clock. A plaque nearby tells the story of Paddington’s journey from Lima. The bear’s creator, Michael Bond, attended the unveiling ceremony. Paddington Bear first appeared in a 1958 novel by Michael Bond. Bond imagined a bear arriving at the station from Peru, carrying only a suitcase and a note asking for care. The character became the hero of thirty books published over sixty years. The last story appeared after Bond’s death in 2017 at the age of ninety-one. The station itself opened in 1854 and was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Brunel’s glazed roofs were inspired by the Crystal Palace, giving the building its grand appearance. Visitors find the statue near the station entrance on Praed Street. The bronze figure is easy to spot against the station’s ironwork and glass. A small plaque explains how Paddington arrived from Lima with little more than marmalade sandwiches. The surrounding platforms and arches recall Brunel’s 19th-century design. Other artworks, including a Paddington Book Bench, can be seen nearby. The station’s clock tower and iron-and-glass roof frame the scene, linking past and present.