We’ll visit Hill Top, the former 17th-century home of the English children’s author and illustrator Beatrix Potter. We’ll discover the tragic story that encouraged Beatrix to seek a picturesque shelter and see what inspired her to create her numerous famous stories and characters. You’ll understand why the writer and artist Susan Branch described Potter’s lovely home as ‘living art.’ Prepare for something cozy, heartwarming, and extremely adorable as we begin our fascinating journey! As a bonus, we’ll tell you about a stunning Potter’s family secret skeleton in the cupboard.
Chapter 1: Miss Potter’s acquisition
Beatrix Potter is famous for her series of small-format books for kids. Though she didn’t have children, surprisingly, Beatrix Potter’s family tree is remarkable. She is related to Catherine, Princess of Wales! The English creator even gave the Middleton family her original hand-painted illustrations, four of which were auctioned for nearly 53,700 dollars in 2006. Beatrix’s first cousin, Baron Ashton, was a brother-in-law of Princess Catherine’s great-great-great uncle, the Leeds University pro-chancellor Dr Arthur Lupton.
Her fictional animal character, Peter Rabbit, has become iconic, being the first soft toy patented in 1903. Many characters, such as Samuel Whiskers, Tom Kitten, and Jemima Puddleduck, were all born in a little historic stone house in the picturesque village of Near Sawrey in Cumbria, England. The books by Beatrix Potter also contain numerous pictures based on her house and garden.
Beatrix actually bought Hill Top Farm, using the profit from books about Peter Rabbit in 1905. She considered the house and its 34-acre working farm her artistic retreat. The house, with its slate roof and random stone walls, is a great example of Lakeland’s vernacular architecture. The farm manager, John Cannon, initially took care of the farm. A year later, Miss Potter even built an extension to the house, a separate wing, so that John Cannon could live there with his family, helping her run the farm.
The English writer also learned farm management from Mr. Cannon, as the household included sheep, pigs, cows, ducks, and hens. She even dedicated “The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck” to his children, Ralph and Betsy, who appear in her illustrations with their mother.
Although Beatrix had been living in London with her parents, a barrister Rupert William Potter and Helen Potter, she organized the house’s renovations and created a charming English cottage garden. She had previously visited the Lake District with her parents a number of times. The landscape inspired her so much that she decided to invest royalties from her first few books into her new rural home. She visited her farm as often as possible, always for several days. Potter used the time to the utmost advantage: sketched the house, garden, landscape, and animals for her new books.
For more details, please check our video about Beatrix Potter