I’m always interested in what inspires writers. Beatrix Potter wrote those stories of anthropomorphised creatures that we read to our kids. So we stopped off to have a look at her gaff.
This is the village where Beatrix Potter shopped.
This is the house that Beatrix Potter lived in and wrote in.
This is the blossom that she would have smelt.
This is the window she peered out of to get inspiration.
These are the descendants of the rhubarb she ate.
This is Beatrix Potter standing outside her house.
This is the sitting room (complete with spinning wheel where she might have spun her yarns).
This is a little table she would have jotted down notes on.
This is a letter from her publishers which is unlike most letters I got from my publishers.
This is the piano her twinkling fingers played on.
This is the descendant of one of the cats in her stories.
This is the pub she may well have got blathered in.
This is a drawing she might have made after coming back from the pub.
This is the bed she slumbered in dreaming of the characters and story-lines for her books.
This is what she wrote when she woke up.
This is the window she would have looked out to check out guests and decide whether to open the door.
This is the view.
That is so cool to be able to see her house and all her stuff!
She certainly lived in a nice place!
Yes she did!!
I’d be inspired if I lived there!
Beautiful little cottage. That’s very interesting about the size of those pictures!
The whole place was stuffed. There wasn’t a lot of Zen.
According to the BBC documentary, she did her writing in her upstairs bedroom.
That’s where the main desk was – though I’m sure that she did some jottings here there and everywhere.
The bulk of her work wasn’t done there anyway. She was already well published before she arrived according to the guide in the house.
I think you are mistaken with some of the details here.
She bought this house “Hill Top” in 1905 with the royalties from her first few books. She wasn’t nearly yet the name she became at that stage. In 1909 she bought another property opposite called Castle Farm, which became her main base but she did all the writing of her most famous works from Hill Top and in that bedroom. She had strict rules with her housemaid, that was when her bedroom door was closed she must never under any circumstances be disturbed.
In 1913 aged 47 she got married and moved to Lakeland. She died in 1943 and left Hill Top to the National Trust and it’s been kept as she left it.
Thanks for that Emily. I see you are an expert – more so than the guide I encountered. Thanks for illuminating further. It was interesting to walk around and visit the place.
Your captions bring the views to life. Reminds me of Thomas Hardy’s house – lovely how places like this contain the past, isn’t it? – Haworth and Stratford the same. Ah, the power of literature!
That Thomas Hardy house is wonderfully atmospheric, isn’t it? This one was too.
The power of literature indeed!
Delightful! The view is the best of all. Well, the letter isn’t too shabby either. 🙂
Fabulous view and fabulous letter! An interesting visit.