Beatrix Potter

Beatrix Potter, creator of much-loved characters such as Peter Rabbit, Jeremy Fisher, Jemima Puddle-Duck and Mrs Tiggywinkle, was born in South Kensington, London, in 1866. The only daughter of Rupert Potter, a wealthy rentier, Beatrix spent a sheltered childhood with her younger brother, Bertram. The family took holidays in the Lake District, staying first at Wray Castle on Windermere, and later in grand houses at Holehird (Troutbeck) and Lingholm (Derwentwater). The young Beatrix amused herself by painting, using specimens from London's Natural History Museum or sketching the nature of Lakeland during her childhood holidays.

Her landscape and animal sketching was encouraged by Canon Rawnsley, a family friend, who inspired her to produce her first book, 'The Tale of Peter Rabbit', published in 1901. With the proceeds from the book, Potter was able to buy the Lakeland farmhouse at Hill Top, Sawrey, in 1905, and many of her later books were set in and around the farm. In 1905, Potter got engaged to one of her publishers, Norman Warne - sadly he was to die of leukemia only a month after the engagement.

In 1913 Potter bought nearby Castle Farm, using a well-established local solicitors, W. Heelis & Sons, for the purchase. During the process she met William Heelis, and the couple soon married when Potter was 47. She retained the house at Hill Top as her study, appointing a manager to oversee the farm.

Only known locally as Mrs Heelis, Potter wrote few books after her marriage, preferring to spend her time breeding the local Herdwick sheep, for which she won many prizes at local shows. Her eyesight also began to deteriorate after 1918, making sketching more difficult, to the point where it gradually diminished by the 1930s.

Beatrix Potter died in Sawrey on 22 December 1943, leaving several thousand acres of land which she had accumulated (including Hill Top farm) to the National Trust. Her ashes were scattered locally by the manager of Hill Top farm - the exact spot has never been revealed, and there is no other memorial to her.

Over 100 years since 'The Tale of Peter Rabbit' was first published, Potter's charming books remain as popular today as they ever have been. Some of Potter's original artwork can be seen in the Beatrix Potter Gallery, located in Hawkshead, just a short distance from Sawrey.