The Charm of Beatrix Potter

Today was certainly an educational day for us, as well as a visual delight, as we headed to Hilltop, the National Trust site that features the house where she created so many of those familiar stories involving the antics of Peter Rabbit, Benjamin Bunny, Squirrel Nutkin and Tom Kitten, to name just a few.

Everything in the house was owned by Beatrix.   It was obvious that she had come from a wealthy family, because the average farmhand would not have rare and unusual items among the possessions.  

Her parents had been worth quite a substantial amount of money, but they were not of the gentry.  Her father had wished for Beatrix to marry someone who was titled, as her cousin had done, but Beatrix was not interested in that.  Her father was not a fan of her writings, so the only way that she could find the time to write uninterrupted, was to purchase the house, called Hilltop, as a refuge for her inspiration.   

It was in the Lake District where she wrote many of her works,  and it was here that she came to love this Lake District area, and she set about doing whatever she could to be sure that the beauty would be preserved for future generations. 

The rooms were filled with family items that she had preserved for her own enjoyment. 

There was this unique collection of brass ornaments, some commemorating an important event in British History.  They hung upon the stove in the kitchen.

A porcelain teapot honoring King Edward VII and Queen Alexandria. 

Isn't just lovely? 

And here are just a few of the many items on display:

a mantle place in one of the rooms

a sampler stitched in the year 1822

and a pitcher with a saying that one could say definitely described Beatrix's view on life.

Let the wealthy and great

Roll in splendor and hate

 I envy them not I declare it;

I eat my own lamb. My own chickens and ham.

I shear my own fleece and I wear it. 

I have lawns, I have bowers.  I have fruits. I have flowers.

The lark is my morning alarmed;

So you jolly bows now

Here's God bless the Plough.

Long life and success to the farmer. 

There was a collection of Peter Rabbit fine china, which I learned was actually commissioned by Beatrix after her book became popular.

These were many, many more items, including the original stuffed Peter Rabbit doll, but it was behind glass and it was too difficult to capture a photo.

Beatrix never had any children, but it would be easy to imagine that these delightful characters meant as much to her as any child would have.

She was not only a writer, but also an illustrator, and we found it fascinating to learn that many of the items in her house were featured in the illustrations of the stories.  In fact, we were encouraged to scroll through the books in each room, to see if we could match a drawing with an item in that room.  It really was quite fun….kind of like a treasure hunt….and we were excited when we could make the match.

Take a look for yourself at what Marty and I managed to find:

Wasn't that fun?

Beatrix partnered with the National Trust, and used her wealth to purchase at least five properties in this area.  She was concerned that industrialists would come in and buy the land, and that they would build manufacturing plants, spoiling all of its beauty. 

The land continues to be farmed by local tenants, and we can thank her persistence and generosity for this unspoiled beauty to enjoy for future generations. 

In addition to this newfound knowledge regarding Beatrix’s passion, I was surprised to learn that her books were favored far more in America than in her homeland.   The tour guide told us that they are always excited to see Americans because they consider us to be the driving force for keeping Beatrix’s memory alive.  Now, how nice was that to learn? 

After leaving the house, we walked around a bit, and near the house, we spotted this amusing sign with Peter Rabbit.  Couldn't miss that photo opportunity!

From here, it was a short jaunt to Claife Viewing Station. It was built in 1790 as a viewpoint for visitors to look over Windermere lake.  One has to climb a series of stone steps to get to the top, but once there, the view is pretty amazing.  

We noticed a path down to the lake from the viewing station, so we headed down there to get a peek at the lake front in all its beauty.

Of course, we had to stop and read about fish.  

On the way back, I captured a shot of the station from below. 

It really was such a clever idea for that time period, and I found it interesting that people in the late 1700s had the same eagerness to look out and enjoy such a beautiful view. 

From here, we headed towards Dalton Castle to take a peek at what that had to offer.  This structure was built sometime after 1320 as a Pele tower, designed as a fortress to defend the region.   In addition, it was a courthouse, gaol, and a home for the Abbots to secure law and order within its walls. 

There really wasn’t much to see, except the guide was extremely excited to take us to see the dungeon, and she encouraged me to climb up the turret to the upper floor.

The stairs were quite difficult to navigate, due to being a circular nature, uneven with many of them crumbling a bit. I’m fairly certain that I surprised the guide on the upstairs level when I came crawling up, as it was the only way I could manage to get up there.    

Once upstairs, there were a few items of interest, particularly the architecture.

And an interesting set of chairs under the large window, one featuring a fish, which seemed appropriate enough to post here since it seems to be the constant query on Marty's mind.

From here, I ventured into the next room, and lo and behold, there was a set of perfectly "normal" steps that I could have taken and saved myself the challenge of navigating the turret.  I suppose the guide wanted to see if I was up to the challenge.  Well, it appears that I was!

Dinner was in Hawkshead, another quaint village that we enjoyed exploring.

This map of the town really amused me.  I loved the clever way that Beatrix Potter's characters are interspersed throughout the map.  

It certainly seems to me that someone other than Americans are crazy about her characters as well.

It's been a grand three days here in the Lake District.  We've met two lovely couples while staying here, and one of the guests shared Marty's enthusiasm for fishing.  I came downstairs to find Marty showing off his  portable fishing gear to him.  

Looks like there just might be a future follower of Yinzerfishing to add to the list!

 

The Struggles are Behind Us!

 Do you recall yesterday’s harrowing adventure, with Marty driving S-curves up and down a mountain, along a narrow road that was lined with stone walls?    Well, it turns out that the name for that section is “The Struggles”.

Who names a particular section of a road?  Apparently someone who found it to be a struggle. And, I can certainly see why!

But I’m happy to say that today’s drive, although a bit tight and surrounded by stone walls as well, wasn’t nearly as taxing. So, it appears that our struggles are over.  Or, at least a bit less stressful for now. 

We enjoyed a lovely breakfast in house, then headed out on the road to the National Trust Site, Townend.  This is a 17th century farmhouse, which was built in 1523, and housed 12 generations of the Browne family until it was donated to the Trust in 1943.

 It is a traditional farmhouse built with Lake District stone and slate, and features round chimneys.

The interior of the house stands pretty much the same as it had been when the family had lived in it. 

The” last” George Browne to live in the house was born in 1842.  He was an only child, and this portrait was drawn of him at the age of eight. 

And there was another one featuring him as an adult.

He married and had three daughters, and spent much of his free time carving wooden items that he had in his house, most from the 17th century.   

He was so well known regarding his carving addiction that even Beatrix Potter made note of it by commenting on his elaborately carved bed, “Foot boards of the splendid old bedstead have been covered with copied patterns”.  

You can see countless items that were enhanced by George during his life.

There are embroidered samplers, a family tree of sorts adorning a bedroom wall, that also holds the wedding gown of George’s wife,  and a room full of books in the largest farmhouse library of its kind in England.

Book collecting became a family trait as far back as 1664, with Ben Browne, and continued with his son and future generations. They also acted as a “library” by loaning books to neighbors, as documented in  the younger Ben’s diary from 1731. 

Of particular interest, were books on sheep farming,  with one of them showing markings that denoted ownership by each farmer in the area. 

The children’s books belonged to George’s three daughters, Lucy, Clara and Katie. 

The house is definitely filled with character and it is even said that Woodrow Wilson himself stayed there once, and loved it so much, that he wanted to buy it.    It’s not too surprising to see why. The area where it stands is just breathtaking.

It didn’t take us long to tour the house, so we opted to visit Elterswater, another National Trust Site, as it was recommended to us by a couple at the B&B. This is a nature preserve located in an idyllic setting, and we wasted no time setting out on foot to tackle the trail to the waterfall. 

After walking about a mile and a half, we found ourselves at our intended destination.   I only had to sort out the logistics of just how I was going to maneuver my way down the rock embankment in order to get a view of the waterfall..  

It was no easy feat, but I did it!

And I'm even still smiling!

At this point, I was ready to make my way back to the B&B, but not before we popped into the Pub Across the street so  that Marty could order a cask ale from the Lake District.  

It did not disappoint. 

We then headed back to the Dower House to settle in for the evnvening, but not before visiting Wray Castle, which is literally right on our doorstep. 

We soon learned that this was not a castle at all, despite the appearance.  Rather, it was a private residence built by a doctor who had lived in Liverpool, and wanted a Lake District escape.   Beatrix Potter stayed here one summer with her family, and she was actively involved with insuring that the estate was saved by the National Trust.  The house, itself, didn’t fall into possession of the Trust until the 1990s, after it was leased out to various organizations over the years.  As a result, all of the furnishings had been removed, as well as at least one fireplace.

But, we were able to look at the architecture on the bottom floor. 

Here you can see the three story (or more) vaulted ceiling above the middle entranceway.

one remaining fireplace

and the refurbished ceiling in one of the rooms.

Only the downstairs rooms were available for viewing, so it didn't take us long to tour the house. 

We then headed around the nature loop, and back to our B&B, which was literally only a stone’s throw away.  You can see the lake in the distance.

And, here we are, after we finished the walk, no worse the wear, although a bit wind blown!

We had decided to eat dinner in tonight, as the B&B proprietor, Margaret, makes an evening meal for those wishing to partake of it. The other two couples joined us for dinner, and we had a grand time without the stress of driving!  

Before I sign off for the night,  here's a clever shot of Marty and me in the Parlor, upon return from our final daily adventure!

Believe it or not, we were grateful for the coziness of the fire!

And on that night, I wish you good night!