As you might know, I do like a bit of house peeping especially when it's Beatrix Potter's house. For those of you who don't know who she was: Beatrix Potter was the author and illustrator of the famous Peter Rabbit books. Beatrix was born in London into a wealthy family and fell in love with the Lake District when they spent their summer there when she was 16. Later on in life she bought a farm called Hilltop with the money she made off the Peter Rabbit books. A highly unusual thing to do for a woman in those days. Girl power Victorian style.
Hilltop is now owned by the National Trust and welcomes visitors. The house, which was an inspiration for many of her stories, is left in its original state because Beatrix didn't want it turned into a museum. So no signs with explanations and descriptions on display. The house is full of her favourite things and stuff she collected over the years and it looks as if she's just popped out to the local shop. She never really lived here as she got married soon after she bought it, but didn't fancy letting a man live here with her. She came here to write and draw and just enjoy a bit of alone time away from the husband.
The garden surrounding the farm is a random collection of colourful flowers, fragrant herbs and fruit trees with some nice views of the surrounding hills behind the house. Sitting on the bench out at the front of her house, you can understand why someone would love living here so much.
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