While global fans of Winnie-the-Pooh may not be able to fulfil this dream of living in the honey-loving bear&rsquos house in the Hundred Acre Wood, those living in England may try their luck. Airbnb has joined Disney&rsquos 95th anniversary celebrations by opening up a Winnie the Pooh inspired house in Ashdown Forest in east Sussex in England for a limited period. Tens of thousands of Pooh fans from all over the world flock to the Ashdown Forest and Hartfield every year to experience the 100 Acre Wood, play pooh sticks and visit Pooh Corner.
Winnie-the-Pooh is a children&rsquos book by English author A. A. Milne and English illustrator E. H. Shepard. Published in 1926, it is a collection of short stories about a teddy bear, Winnie-the-Pooh, and his friends Christopher Robin, Piglet, Eeyore, Owl, Rabbit, Kanga, and Roo. Milne, who owned a country house in Ashdown Forest, drew inspiration from the Five Hundred Acre Wood here for the imaginary forest where the bear and his animal friends lived and would be joined by a boy named Christopher Robin together they would have lots of adventures in the forest.
In 1961, the Walt Disney Company acquired the licensing rights to the stories and characters. The house in the woods, which sleeps four guests, has been curated by Disney-appointed Winnie the Pooh illustrator Kim Raymond, according to Airbnb.
The house in the woods has the familiar &lsquoSanderz&rsquo sign over the door. Those familiar with Winne-the-Pooh stories know that Pooh lived under the name of Sanders and had it written in gold letters over the door. And of course there are loads of &lsquohunny&rsquo pots hanging around. The spelling &lsquohunny&rsquo first appeared in Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree, the first film on the bear. Writes Raymond on the Airbnb site, &ldquoI brought Pooh&rsquos house to life taking inspiration from the original decorations of E.H. Shepard.&rdquo Raymond has designed the bespoke wallpaper found inside.
According to the company website, during their stay at the house, guests will be taken on a guided tour through the original Hundred Acre Wood, play Poohsticks on the iconic Poohsticks Bridge and enjoy locally sourced, hunny-inspired meals.
The Bearbnb will be open for two separate stays on September 24 and 25 this year. Details of the facilities available and the terms and conditions are available here. Check the site on September 20 to know when bookings will open.