Lake District and Beatrix Potter

Monday June 17th

We continued our journey up the M6 to the Lake District, where I was determined to visit Beatrix Potter’s house, Hill Top Farm.

Our route took us close to Kendall, and then across to Windermere and some beautiful views of the lake. Unfortunately, the roads were busy and there was nowhere to stop to take photos, especially with impatient people behind, all with places to go and people to see and no time to wait. And I was reluctant to stop and park in case of places shutting before we got there! So we continued along the lake side. My efforts to take the occasional view over the water as we drove past were usually frustrated by the trees that jump into the viewfinder just as you press the button to take the photo, so a lot of time had to be spent deleting unwanted photos of vegetation. We continued through Ambleside down to Hawkshead and then further down to Sawrey where we found Hill Top Farm.

Beatrix Potter bought the farm in 1905. She had come to love the Lake District on family holidays there, and first stayed in Sawrey in 1896. She wrote Peter Rabbit there, and as her books began to sell, she developed a relationship with her publisher Norman Warne, and in 1905 they planned to marry. A few days after his proposal was accepted, he became ill and died, and Beatrix, who was heartbroken, eventually felt she needed to make a new beginning, so she bought Hill Top.

The farm was already managed by John Cannon who lived there with his wife and family, so Beatrix built a new wing and the Cannons settled in there, while Beatrix moved into the farmhouse. Although she had to remain in London for long periods of time, she went to Hill Top whenever she could and it was here she learned to be a farmer. This is the house.

Inside, it is a typical late 17th century Lake District farmhouse, though it was later enlarged. The rooms are small, with an intimate atmosphere and low lighting. The carved oak cupboard below, dating from 1667, which she bought at an auction, was one of her favourite pieces.

The plates above it display designs of birds and animals by Beatrix’s father, and came from her childhood home.




The fireplace in the room above features in one of her books - Tom Kitten is shown about to jump up the chimney as he tries to escape from his mother.

Below is the Parlour

This is where Beatrix would entertain formal guests, just like Ribby the cat entertaining her friend Duchess the dog in The Pie and the Patty-Pan.

Below is the bedroom, in which Beatrix only occasionally slept, and not in this bed.



This is a 17th century Lake District tester bed which Beatrix bought from a nearby farm after she moved to Castle Cottage. The wallpaper you can probably see is a William Morris pattern of Daisies.

The only room which is really light and bright is the one Beatrix called the Library.



It is situated above the farmhouse kitchen and has a larger window. It has huge landscape paintings by Beatrix’s brother which take up much of the wall space. There is a bureau bookcase in the corner opposite the one in my photo where she wrote letters and composed her books.

Outside the front door is the garden, which was largely Beatrix’s creation. There was hardly any garden when she bought the house. 



Although it is as neat as Mr McGregor’s garden, I overheard one of the Trust volunteers explaining to a Japanese visitor that it was not, in fact, Mr McGregor’s garden, as Peter Rabbit was written before 1900 and published in 1901, long before Beatrix bought Hill Top.

The village itself is full of places you can still recognise from drawings in the books. I certainly do, as I read all the stories to my younger grandson. This gate and wall might look familiar.

In The Tale of Tom Kitten, the three Puddle Ducks are passing it while the three kittens are sitting on top of the wall, just after all Tom Kitten’s clothes come off.

The house below is also familiar

It was the model for the shop belonging to Ginger and Pickles.

It was too late after that to visit the Beatrix Potter Gallery, which shuts at 4 with last entries at 3.30, so we decided to drive towards Carlisle and our next stop.

The Lake District is so beautiful, with new views appearing round every corner and the only problem being the inability to stop on the narrow busy roads to take any photos.


We drove past Esthwaite Water, which is close to Hill Top.

Our route then took us back through Hawkshead and Ambleside, and then towards Keswick. I felt sorry for Paul being unable to see as much of the scenery as I could, as he was driving and obliged to watch tarmac. I took as many photos as I could from the car or from brief stops when there were no cars behind us.

On other occasions we would have stopped in a car park somewhere and walked, but Paul was tired and my back was hurting, and it was getting late. So we pressed on towards Carlisle and our overnight hotel. 

One problem I had not encountered before is the motorway services that are only accessible from one side of the motorway. The hotel I booked didn’t advertise the fact that it’s on the side of the M6 going towards the south, meaning those moving northwards, like us, have to go on to the next exit and turn back towards the south to get there. Then in the morning, we have to start driving south to the first exit in order to turn round and go north again!