Beloved children's book illustrations on show at Longleat

A 1927 illustration of Christopher Robin, Winnie the Pooh and Piglet features in the exhibition

Original drawings of beloved characters in children's stories are going on display in an exhibition.

Winnie the Pooh and the mock turtle from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland are part of exhibition at Longleat House in Wiltshire until 8 January.

The drawings are from the collection of Henry Frederick Thynne, the 6th Marquess of Bath.

The work of seven artists will be on show with a range of illustrations dating from the 1860s to the 1960s.

"This small exhibition provides a rare opportunity to see an important part of the Longleat Collection that isn't very well known," curator James Ford said.

The exhibition, called Picture This: Illustrating Stories for Children, aims to celebrate children's books, and original drawings will be placed alongside the published books they appear in.

John Tenniel's drawing for Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is the oldest of the works on display

"Thanks to the 6th Marquess' passion for children's literature, we're lucky to have significant works by some of the most important artists ever to illustrate children's books," said Mr Ford.

"We hope guests enjoy seeing illustrations that brought to life children's classics such as Alice in Wonderland and Winnie the Pooh," he added.

A drawing of the mock turtle, created in 1866 by John Tenniel for Lewis Carroll's novel Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, is the earliest of the works on display.

Visitors can view an illustration of Christopher Robin, Winnie the Pooh and Piglet, created by E.H. Shepard in 1927 for A.A. Milne's Now we are Six.

The exhibition also includes works by Randolph Caldecott, Kate Greenaway and Walter Crane, representing the late-Victorian and Edwardian era.

Mr Crane's little-known Longleat black book of 56 watercolours, which he created for his six-year-old son Lionel in 1882, will be on display for the first time in the exhibition.