In search of a “Little bear lost”

Mary Tourtel

For those of you who read my blog regularly, you’ll realise that I’ve been blogging for a year now. So, this week’s blogspedition had to be a little bit special.  After a lot of research and some careful journey planning on my part, I set of at 7:20am to visit one of the most beautiful places I’ve seen to date.  When I lived in Australia, I worked in Canterbury and when you work in a place you kind of get a picture in your head of what a city of the same name in another country might look like.  I was completely wrong of course and the Canterbury that I visited in Kent was quite different to the Melbourne suburb that I once worked in.

In Stour Street Canterbury there is a museum which has a section dedicated to a character that has been around for over 90 years and this beloved bear is so popular that he has had no less than six writers to date.

Plaque on the house in Palace Street Canterbury

Mary Tourtel created the character by the name of Rupert Bear, and the comic strip was first published in the Daily Express in 1920. Tourtel who was born Mary Caldwell in 1874 studied at the Sidney Cooper school of art in Canterbury.  She married Herbert Tourtel who was the editor of the newspaper and Rupert Bear was created to compete against other comic strips in rival newspapers. When Rupert first went to print, he was brown, but they changed his colour to white to cut expenses. Tourtel drew Rupert until her eyesight failed her in 1935.

Part of the museum exhibition - Tourtel creating her comic strip

If you have the opportunity to visit the museum, you’re in for a treat.  The displays are interactive and they have story time there too.  I was lucky enough to catch a rehearsal and I think it’s something everybody would enjoy. There are a few glass case exhibitions, but nothing too boring as this part of the museum really is for kids – and the young at heart.

Rupert Bear Book

Rupert Bear isn’t just a comic strip anymore.  There are books, games, puzzles and of course television shows about his adventures.  I remember years ago my nanna bought a Rupert Bear book for my brother.  I was kind of jealous at the time, but he let me read it. It never occurred to me at the time that I would visit the actual place where the bear was created. 

The headstone of the Tourtel's grave

Mary Tourtel passed away in 1946 and is buried with her husband Herbert in St Martin’s Churchyard. I wonder what she would think about Rupert’s popularity if she were still around.  This phenomenally successful character has won the hearts of children for such a long time and I’m sure that this will continue for many years to come.

Plaque on the house in Ivy Lane Canterbury

I really enjoy the research and travel that goes into my blog and I’m thankful to those of you who take the time to read it. When I visit somewhere that I haven’t been before, it reminds me that the world is a big place with so much to discover. So on the first anniversary of my blog let me finish by saying that Once upon a time in Canterbury, I found not only the bear I was searching for, but another beautiful city worth telling you about.