01 Dec Beatrix Potter
Beatrix Potter first visited the Lake District in 1882 and fell in love with it right away. Following the success of her first three books – The Tale of Peter Rabbit (1902), The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin (1903) and The Tailor of Gloucester (1903) – she was at last able to buy land in the Lakes. In 1905 she purchased the 17th Century farmhouse, Hill Top, in the “charming village” of Near Sawrey, where she lived for eight years. Potter wrote 23 books in all, many of them expressing her love for the Lake District. The film Miss Potter (2006), starring Renee Zellweger and Ewan McGregor, gives an account of this part of her life.
Potter died in 1943 at the age of 77 and left Hill Top to the National Trust, requiring that it be left exactly as it was when she lived there. As a result, visitors get the impression that she has popped out for a stroll. Beatrix Potter was a substantial benefactor of the National Trust, leaving her 4,000 acres of land and fifteen farms to the charity. In addition to Hill Top, the Trust also owns and manages the Beatrix Potter Gallery, housed in a 17th Century property in the nearby village of Hawkshead, featuring an excellent display of Potter’s original illustrations.