Calling all marmalade lovers – the Paddington Bear Experience, London, is a day out not to be missed!
It’s always lovely when a character from your own childhood is adopted by the younger generation, and my son is a big fan of bears in particular. First, Sooty enjoyed a resurgence, and now it is the turn of Paddington. The sticky-pawed hero has arguably never been more popular, thanks to a charming trio of films (not to mention a Netflix animated series) featuring the voice of Ben Whishaw and talented actors including Hugh Grant, Nicole Kidman, and Downton Abbey’s Hugh Bonneville. With a wholesome message about diversity and inclusion underpinning the action, they make the streets of London look dazzling and friendly – and it’s on this picturesque vision that London’s Paddington Bear Experience is based.
Easy to locate on the Southbank, it’s in excellent company as tourist attractions go – nestled near the Aquarium, London Eye and the London Dungeons. My family and I (covering three generations) visit on a drizzly Monday and it’s a relief to step inside, shake off our brollies and step into the story.
What happens at the Paddington Experience?
You begin and end your journey – naturally – in a shop, although this one is modelled on Gruber’s Antiques shop, and features plenty to look at without spending anything, including a model train whizzing around overhead.
Once you’ve picked up any treats (a Paddington Bear ear headband for my son – just when I thought he couldn’t get any cuter!) it’s time to leave bulky items such as coats and buggies to one side, and board the train.
It’s a very cleverly done experience, using a combination of high end sets, a huge team of enthusiastic actors, and projections, to bring the movie magic to life - in fact, around half of the set is actually from the films. The train, despite being just a little room with benches, feels surprisingly real as we watch the station ‘whizz past’, and see our first glimpse of Paddington’s ears. Whenever we spot the bear (either animatronic or projected) he’s voiced by Ben Whishaw, giving him an authentic feeling.
The conductor sees us off the train, where we find ourselves outside Paddington’s house, and greeted by a somewhat chaotic Mrs Brown. As she untangles herself from some bunting, she explains we’re getting ready for a Marmalade Day party, and we’re asked to help.
From there, we’re ushered through various rooms of the house (all charmingly designed to closely resemble the film sets). In each room we’re given tasks to complete, such as weighing out ingredients, or building large jigsaws, which is a great way to hold younger children’s attention. We find the challenges not too tricky for a two-year-old, but older kids seem to enjoy them too. My only criticism is that it’s possible to feel slightly rushed, as the timeslots for different batches of visitors are tightly packed, so we need to be out of one door to let the next group in.
The best part of Paddington's house
Our favourite part of the experience was a journey to the jungles of darkest Peru, which we hadn’t expected after stepping into a pantry! The attention to detail here was wonderful, with leafy canopies and rope bridges to explore, although I think there was some kind of mix up on the day we visited as we were sent to search for oranges – in vain! That slight disappointment aside, my son enjoyed helping the older children to power a marmalade-making machine, and we were off to the party.
This took place on a set of the London streets, and here we found a café selling marmalade treats including sandwiches, and hot drinks (non-marmalade options were available too, thankfully for my son who – whisper it – is more of a jam fan!)
As we visited in December there was a ‘snow fall’ that took place, as well as music, dancing, and lots of fete-type games. We also had a family photo taken with the big bear himself, which is now a treasured possession!
All in all, the whole family enjoyed themselves, although I suspect a slightly older child would get even more out of it (perhaps 4 – 7 is the sweetest spot). It felt like a quintessentially London experience, and I could really see the effort that had gone into recreating the movie magic. Two paws up for Paddington.
How much does The Paddington Bear Experience cost?
Prices online start from £34 adults, £24 children, under 2s go free. Visit paddingtonbearexperience.com
Lizzy Dening is an award-winning journalist and has spent many years working for Yours magazine both in-house and as a freelance writer and editor. Her specialisms include health and fitness, interviews (both real life and celebrity) and women’s issues. She’s also written for publications including Grazia, Vogue and the Guardian.