Hundred Acre Wood
Encyclopedia
The Hundred Acre Wood is the fictional land inhabited by Winnie-the-Pooh
and his friends in the Winnie-the-Pooh series of children's stories by author A. A. Milne
. The wood is visited regularly by the young boy Christopher Robin
, who accompanies (or imagines through make-believe) Pooh and company on their many adventures.
In A. A. Milne's books, the term "Hundred Acre Wood" is actually used for a specific part of the larger Forest, centred around Owl's house (see the map in the book, as well as numerous references in the text to the characters going "into" or "out of" the Hundred Acre Wood as they go between Owl's house and other Forest locations). However, in the Pooh movies, and in general conversation with most Pooh fans, "The Hundred Acre Wood" is used for the entire world of Winnie-the-Pooh, the Forest and all the places it contains.
The Hundred Acre Wood of the Winnie-the-Pooh stories is in actuality Five Hundred Acre Wood in Ashdown Forest
in East Sussex
, England
, where the Winnie-the-Pooh stories were set. A.A. Milne's country home at Cotchford Farm, Hartfield
was situated just north of Ashdown Forest, and Five Hundred Acre Wood is a dense beech wood that Christopher Robin Milne
would explore on his way from Cotchford Farm onto the Forest. Five Hundred Acre wood is long-established, having been originally sold off from the Forest in 1678. The wood remains privately-owned, being part of the Buckhurst estate, and is not therefore generally accessible to the public, though two footpaths which are public rights of way, one of which is part of a long-distance footpath, the Wealdway
, cross through the wood and may be used by members of the public.
Milne was inspired by the beautiful landscape of Ashdown Forest to use it as the setting for his Winnie-the-Pooh stories, and many features from the stories can be identified with specific locations in the forest. The car park at the hilltop of Gills Lap, the Galleon's Leap of the Pooh stories , contains a display panel with a map of the surrounding area and the features from several of the Winnie-the-Pooh stories marked on it. For example, Five Hundred Acre Wood lies a short distance to the north-east, while the "Enchanted Place" is a small wooded area 200 metres to the north. A memorial plaque dedicated to A.A. Milne and his illustrator, Ernest H. Shepard, lies 100 metres away.
In an American television episode, "How Much Is The Rabbit In That Window?", the Hundred Acre Wood has been relocated from England to near a small city in the United States of America, as reflected by the fact that a post box has U.S. Mail written on it.
Additional places mentioned in the books but not shown on the map include:
Winnie-the-Pooh
Winnie-the-Pooh, also called Pooh Bear, is a fictional anthropomorphic bear created by A. A. Milne. The first collection of stories about the character was the book Winnie-the-Pooh , and this was followed by The House at Pooh Corner...
and his friends in the Winnie-the-Pooh series of children's stories by author A. A. Milne
A. A. Milne
Alan Alexander Milne was an English author, best known for his books about the teddy bear Winnie-the-Pooh and for various children's poems. Milne was a noted writer, primarily as a playwright, before the huge success of Pooh overshadowed all his previous work.-Biography:A. A...
. The wood is visited regularly by the young boy Christopher Robin
Christopher Robin
Christopher Robin is a character created by A. A. Milne, appearing in his popular books of poetry and stories about Winnie-the-Pooh. He has subsequently appeared in Disney cartoons....
, who accompanies (or imagines through make-believe) Pooh and company on their many adventures.
In A. A. Milne's books, the term "Hundred Acre Wood" is actually used for a specific part of the larger Forest, centred around Owl's house (see the map in the book, as well as numerous references in the text to the characters going "into" or "out of" the Hundred Acre Wood as they go between Owl's house and other Forest locations). However, in the Pooh movies, and in general conversation with most Pooh fans, "The Hundred Acre Wood" is used for the entire world of Winnie-the-Pooh, the Forest and all the places it contains.
The Hundred Acre Wood of the Winnie-the-Pooh stories is in actuality Five Hundred Acre Wood in Ashdown Forest
Ashdown Forest
Ashdown Forest is an ancient area of tranquil open heathland occupying the highest sandy ridge-top of the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is situated some south of London in the county of East Sussex, England...
in East Sussex
East Sussex
East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, where the Winnie-the-Pooh stories were set. A.A. Milne's country home at Cotchford Farm, Hartfield
Hartfield
Hartfield is a civil parish in East Sussex, England. Settlements within the parish include the village of Hartfield, Colemans Hatch, Hammerwood and Holtye, all lying on the northern edge of Ashdown Forest.-Geography:...
was situated just north of Ashdown Forest, and Five Hundred Acre Wood is a dense beech wood that Christopher Robin Milne
Christopher Robin Milne
Christopher Robin Milne was the son of author A. A. Milne. As a child, he was the basis of the character Christopher Robin in his father's Winnie-the-Pooh stories and in two books of poems.-Early life:...
would explore on his way from Cotchford Farm onto the Forest. Five Hundred Acre wood is long-established, having been originally sold off from the Forest in 1678. The wood remains privately-owned, being part of the Buckhurst estate, and is not therefore generally accessible to the public, though two footpaths which are public rights of way, one of which is part of a long-distance footpath, the Wealdway
Wealdway
The Wealdway, Kent and East Sussex, is a public footpath that runs from Gravesend, Kent on the Thames estuary, to the A259 at Eastbourne, 3 km north of Beachy Head....
, cross through the wood and may be used by members of the public.
Milne was inspired by the beautiful landscape of Ashdown Forest to use it as the setting for his Winnie-the-Pooh stories, and many features from the stories can be identified with specific locations in the forest. The car park at the hilltop of Gills Lap, the Galleon's Leap of the Pooh stories , contains a display panel with a map of the surrounding area and the features from several of the Winnie-the-Pooh stories marked on it. For example, Five Hundred Acre Wood lies a short distance to the north-east, while the "Enchanted Place" is a small wooded area 200 metres to the north. A memorial plaque dedicated to A.A. Milne and his illustrator, Ernest H. Shepard, lies 100 metres away.
In an American television episode, "How Much Is The Rabbit In That Window?", the Hundred Acre Wood has been relocated from England to near a small city in the United States of America, as reflected by the fact that a post box has U.S. Mail written on it.
Places in the Wood
The following places are shown on Shepard's map at the beginning of the Winnie-the-Pooh book:- Pooh Bear's House
- Kanga's House
- The Sandy Pit Where Roo Plays
- A Nice Place for Picnics
- The Bee Tree
- The way to the North Pole
- An area with Big Stones and Rocks
- Rabbit's House
- An area for Rabbit's Friends-and-Relations
- Christopher Robin's House
- The Six Pine Trees
- The Pooh Trap for Heffalumps
- Piglet's House
- Where the WoozleWoozleA woozle is a fictional weasel-like creature mentioned in the Winnie the Pooh stories.No woozle illustrations appear in A. A...
Wasn't - A Floody Place
- Owl's House
- Eeyore's Gloomy Place
Additional places mentioned in the books but not shown on the map include:
- The House at Pooh Corner
- The PoohsticksPoohsticksPoohsticks is a game first mentioned in The House at Pooh Corner, a Winnie-the-Pooh book by A. A. Milne. It is a simple game which may be played on any bridge over running water; each player drops a stick on the upstream side of a bridge and the one whose stick first appears on the downstream side...
Bridge - The Stepping Stones
- A Gravel Pit
- Pooh's Thoughtful Spot
- Galleons Lap
Residents of the Wood
- Winnie-the-PoohWinnie-the-PoohWinnie-the-Pooh, also called Pooh Bear, is a fictional anthropomorphic bear created by A. A. Milne. The first collection of stories about the character was the book Winnie-the-Pooh , and this was followed by The House at Pooh Corner...
- Christopher RobinChristopher RobinChristopher Robin is a character created by A. A. Milne, appearing in his popular books of poetry and stories about Winnie-the-Pooh. He has subsequently appeared in Disney cartoons....
- RabbitRabbit (Winnie the Pooh)In the fictional world of the book series and cartoons Winnie-the-Pooh, Rabbit is a responsible rabbit who happens to be a good friend of Winnie-the-Pooh. He is always practical and keeps his friends on their toes, although they sometimes raise his ire unintentionally.-Role in the books:The first...
- PigletPiglet (Winnie the Pooh)Piglet is a fictional character from A. A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh books. Piglet is Winnie-the-Pooh's closest friend amongst all the toys/animals featured in the stories...
- EeyoreEeyoreEeyore is a character in the Winnie-the-Pooh books by A. A. Milne. He is generally characterized as a pessimistic, gloomy, depressed, anhedonic, old grey stuffed donkey who is a friend of the title character, Winnie-the-Pooh....
- OwlOwl (Winnie the Pooh)Owl is a fictional character in A. A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh books and in Disney's Winnie the Pooh cartoons. Owl's character is based on the archetype of the "wise old owl", although in the books, the quality of Owl's "wisdom" is sometimes questionable....
- Kanga
- RooRooRoo is a fictional character created in 1926 by A. A. Milne and first featured in the book Winnie-the-Pooh. He is a young kangaroo and his mother is Kanga...
- Roo
- TiggerTiggerTigger is a fictional tiger-like character originally introduced in A. A. Milne's book The House at Pooh Corner. Like other Pooh characters, Tigger is based on one of Christopher Robin Milne's stuffed animals...
- Lottie the Otter
- GopherGopher (Winnie the Pooh)Gopher is a fictional grey anthropomorphic gopher character who first appeared in the 1966 Disney animated film Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree, introducing himself as Samuel J. Gopher. He has a habit of whistling out his sibilant consonants, one of various traits he has in common with the...
(Disney materials only) - Kessie (Disney materials only)
- Lumpy (Disney materials only)
- Mrs. Heffalump (Disney materials only)
- Darby (Disney materials only)
- Buster (Disney materials only)
- Beaver (Disney materials only)
- Turtle (Disney materials only)
- Porcupine (Disney materials only)
- Woodpecker (Disney materials only)
- Skunk (Disney materials only)
- Squirrels (Disney materials only)
- Raccoon (Disney materials only)