A family-friendly exhibition celebrating everyone’s favourite bear.

Paddington^TM is coming to Torbay, as the touring exhibition from the British Library, ‘Paddington: The Story of a Bear’ visits Torre Abbey from 29 April to 4 September 2023. Follow his trail of marmalade to find out more about his adventures in this educational and interactive exhibition.  

Paddington’s kind and polite nature have made him one of the world’s most loved bears since his first appearance on the pages of A Bear Called Paddington written by Michael Bond. 65 years on, his stories still delight people of all ages around the world, he even had tea with Queen Elizabeth II to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee.

Now fans, both big and small, can discover more about Paddington’s adventures here at Torre Abbey.The exhibition has activities for all ages to practice their hard stares, take their own self ‘pawtrait’ and follow the trail of marmalade left by Paddington, as well as a special printed guide for families. Featuring over 50 books, documents, film clips and original artworks, these unique displays explore Michael Bond’s creation of Paddington, from his arrival in the UK from Peru, to finding a new home, and his exciting adventures in London and beyond.

With a summer of family activities and events still to be announced, there will be plenty to keep little sticky paws busy.

So, don your hat and duffle coat, grab your suitcase, and join us for a marmalade sandwich-fuelled trip down memory lane. And most importantly: “Please look after this bear. Thank You!”

Name:         Paddington: The Story of a Bear

Where:        Torre Abbey, The Kings drive, Torquay, Devon, TQ2 5JE

When:          Opening times and visitor information

Enquiries:     01803 293593 | torre.abbey@torbay.gov.uk

About Paddington

For 65 years, British-born writer Michael Bond has delighted readers all over the world with his stories about Paddington, the bear from Peru, famous for his love of marmalade. The kindness and humour in the stories appeal to children and adults alike, ensuring Paddington's enduring popularity from one generation to the next.  HarperCollins Children's books have published Paddington's adventures continuously since 13th October 1958 when, as William Collins, they first introduced A Bear Called Paddington to the world.

​Since then, Paddington’s adventures have been adapted several times for television and at the end of 2014 Paddington made his debut onto the big screen, a further film Paddington 2 followed in 2017 with a third in the works. The movies were produced by Studiocanal, part of the international content and media group Vivendi. In 2020, a brand-new Paddington TV series designed for a pre-school audience, The Adventures of Paddington launched on Nickelodeon, introducing him to a whole new set of fans.

You can catch-up with Paddington’s many adventures on:
Twitter & Instagram @paddingtonbear | Facebook.com/PaddingtonBear | dailymotion.com/Paddington | YouTube.com/Paddington

©P&Co. Ltd/ SC 2023

About the British Library

We are the national library of the UK and we are here for everyone.  Our shelves hold over 170 million items – a living collection that gets bigger every day. Although our roots extend back centuries, we aim to collect everything published in the UK today, tomorrow and far into the future. Our trusted experts care for this collection and open it up for everyone to spark new discoveries, ideas and to help people do incredible things.

We have millions of books, and much more besides. Our London and Yorkshire sites hold collections ranging from newspapers and maps to sound recordings, patents, academic journals, as well as a copy of every UK domain website and blog. Our public spaces provide a place to research, to meet friends, to start up a new business or simply to get inspired by visiting our galleries and events. We work with partners and libraries across the UK and the world to make sure that as many people as possible have the chance to use and explore our collections, events and expertise. And we’re always open online, along with more and more of our digitised collection.