‘Last-ever’ Winnie the Pooh illustration discovered wrapped in tea towel

The “last ever” drawing of Winnie-the-Pooh has been discovered wrapped in a tea towel.

A sketch dated 1958 of the famous character and Piglet, by illustrator E H Shepard, was found in the cellar of Christopher Foyle - former chairman of Foyles bookshops.

Shephard also drew the illustrations for A A Milne’s 1926 book Winnie-the-Pooh.

Chris Albury, of Dominic Winter Auctioneers, says Shepard, then 79, may have done the sketch for an annual Foyles Literary Lunch.

“I was shocked to see that this was unmistakably an original, even through the dusty, taped glass,” Albury said.