Hill Top, Cumbria

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Hill Top Farm
Hill Top Farm, Near Sawrey, Cumbria - geograph.org.uk - 43164.jpg
The porch of Hill Top
Cumbria UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location within Cumbria
Established1946 (1946)
Location Near Sawrey, Hawkshead, Cumbria, England
Coordinates 54°21′06″N2°58′14″W / 54.3517°N 2.970453°W / 54.3517; -2.970453
Type Writer's house museum
Owner National Trust
Public transit accessBus/Ferry from Windermere National Rail logo.svg 4.5 mi (7.2 km)
Website www.nationaltrust.org.uk/hill-top
Listed Building – Grade II*
Designated25 March 1970
Reference no. 1087304

Hill Top is a 17th-century house in Near Sawrey near Hawkshead, in the English county of Cumbria. It is an example of Lakeland vernacular architecture with random stone walls and slate roof. [1] The house was once the home of children's author and illustrator Beatrix Potter who left it to the National Trust. It is a Grade II* listed building. [2] [3] It is open to the public as a writer's house museum, shown as Beatrix Potter herself would have known it.

Contents

The Hill Top garden is of interest, being maintained in a style in keeping with Potter's illustrations.

Background

Hill Top once belonged to Beatrix Potter, the children's author and illustrator known for a series of small format books, especially the character Peter Rabbit. Potter bought the house and its 34-acre (14 ha) working farm in 1905 as her home away from London and her artistic retreat. She left the house to the National Trust upon her death in 1943. The house, farm and nearby villages feature in Potter's books, The Tale of the Pie and the Patty-Pan , The Tale of Tom Kitten , The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck and The Tale of Samuel Whiskers or The Roly-Poly Pudding .

The farm was managed by John Cannon. The wing on the left was built by Potter for Cannon and his family in 1906. The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck was dedicated to his children, Ralph and Betsy, who appear in the illustrations, as does their mother.

Points of interest

Hill Top Potterhome.jpg
Hill Top

Entrance hall

The entrance hall or kitchen, retains its original stone-flagged floor. The range seen in many of her illustrations was removed but replaced with an identical one in 1983. The wallpaper was reproduced in 1987 from that hung by Potter in 1906 and covers the walls and ceiling. The longcase clock dated ca. 1785, the Chippendale-style chairs, the Georgian-style dresser, a 17th-century oak press cupboard and other furnishings are depicted in some of Potter's illustrations. [4] The remains of the historic spiral staircase can be seen in the cupboard to the right of the fireplace.

Parlour

The parlour is distinguished by an Adam style chimneypiece installed by Potter. Furniture of the early 19th century dominates the room and 18th century English and Chinese porcelains are displayed in a hanging wall cupboard. Potter's 1902 coronation teapot displayed in the cupboard was Ribby's in The Tale of the Pie and the Patty-Pan . [5]

Staircase and landing

The staircase and landing are familiar to the readers of Potter's books. The rail and banisters are probably 18th century. The walnut longcase clock was made by Schofield's of Rochdale. Other works of art decorate the area. The carpets were woven to match those in The Tale of Samuel Whiskers . [6]

The new room

Called the new room as it was an extension added by Beatrix at the same time as she built the adjoining house. Beatrix referred to it as the library. It contains five large paintings by her brother Walter Bertram Potter. The single window looks out over the village of Near Sawrey, a scene Beatrix drew for The Tale of Samuel Whiskers.

The sitting room

Originally a farmhouse bedroom, Beatrix used this upstairs space to entertain. The room includes a box piano by Muzio Clementi and Co.

The treasure room

The smallest room in the house shows off the original oak floors. One floorboard has been cut shorter than the others, which possibly inspired the events in The Tale of Samuel Whiskers. Notable items in the room include the dolls house which contains the ham depicted in The Tale of Two Bad Mice and a display cabinet featuring miniature bronzes of Beatrix's characters.

Bedroom

The only bedroom in the house contains an ornate four-poster bed dating from the mid-1600s. Beatrix's husband William Heelis carved their initials in the fireplace surround.

Layout of the house

The house contains three rooms downstairs, the entrance hall, parlour and scullery. There are four rooms upstairs; the sitting room, treasure room, bedroom and new room. All of these rooms can be entered by visitors. There are additional rooms not on the visitor route, including a cellar, a landing cupboard and a washroom, which did not contain plumbing, but was simply a space to wash using a bowl of water.

Garden

Edwardian borders in The Tale of Tom Kitten Tale of tom kitten.jpg
Edwardian borders in The Tale of Tom Kitten

The Tale of Tom Kitten features the Hill Top garden. [7]

Barrow and Peas - geograph.org.uk - 510275.jpg

There is a vegetable garden, but Mr McGregor's vegetables in The Tale of Peter Rabbit were painted at a garden called Lingholm as Potter had not yet acquired Hill Top.

Replicas

Hill Top is a frequent destination of Japanese visitors to the UK. [8] In 2007 a replica of Hill Top was built in a children's zoo near the grounds of Daito Bunka University in Tokyo, Japan. [9]

The National Trust also displays material related to Beatrix Potter at the Beatrix Potter Gallery at Hawkshead. [10]

See also

Related Research Articles

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Helen Beatrix Potter was an English writer, illustrator, natural scientist, and conservationist. She is best known for her children's books featuring animals, such as The Tale of Peter Rabbit, which was her first commercially published work in 1902. Her books, including 23 Tales, have sold more than 250 million copies. An entrepreneur, Potter was a pioneer of character merchandising. In 1903, Peter Rabbit was the first fictional character to be made into a patented stuffed toy, making him the oldest licensed character.

<i>The Tale of Samuel Whiskers or The Roly-Poly Pudding</i> Childrens book by Beatrix Potter

The Tale of Samuel Whiskers or The Roly-Poly Pudding is a children's book written and illustrated by Beatrix Potter and first published by Frederick Warne & Co. in October 1908 as The Roly-Poly Pudding. In 1926, it was re-published as The Tale of Samuel Whiskers. The book is dedicated to the author's fancy rat "Sammy" and tells of Tom Kitten's escape from two rats who plan to make him into a pudding. The tale was adapted to animation in 1993.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beatrix Potter Gallery</span> Gallery dedicated to Beatrix Potter

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<i>The Tale of Ginger and Pickles</i> Childrens book by Beatrix Potter

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<i>The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle</i> Childrens book written by Beatrix Potter

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<i>The Tale of Tom Kitten</i> Childrens book by Beatrix Potter

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<i>The Tale of the Pie and the Patty-Pan</i> Childrens book by Beatrix Potter

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<i>The World of Peter Rabbit and Friends</i> British TV series or programme

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The Tale of Benjamin Bunny is a children's book written and illustrated by Beatrix Potter, and first published by Frederick Warne & Co. in September 1904. The book is a sequel to The Tale of Peter Rabbit (1902), and tells of Peter's return to Mr. McGregor's garden with his cousin Benjamin to retrieve the clothes he lost there during his previous adventure. In Benjamin Bunny, Potter deepened the rabbit universe she created in Peter Rabbit, and, in doing so, suggested the rabbit world was parallel to the human world but complete and sufficient unto itself.

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<i>The Story of Miss Moppet</i> Childrens book by Beatrix Potter

The Story of Miss Moppet is a tale about teasing, featuring a kitten and a mouse, that was written and illustrated by Beatrix Potter, and published by Frederick Warne & Co for the 1906 Christmas season. Potter was born in London in 1866, and between 1902 and 1905 published a series of small-format children's books with Warne. In 1906, she experimented with an atypical panorama design for Miss Moppet, which booksellers disliked; the story was reprinted in 1916 in small book format.

<i>The Tale of Timmy Tiptoes</i> Childrens book by Beatrix Potter

The Tale of Timmy Tiptoes is a children's book written and illustrated by Beatrix Potter, and published by Frederick Warne & Co. in October 1911. Timmy Tiptoes is a squirrel believed to be a nut-thief by his fellows, and imprisoned by them in a hollow tree with the expectation that he will confess under confinement. Timmy is tended by Chippy Hackee, a friendly, mischievous chipmunk who has run away from his wife and is camping-out in the tree. Chippy urges the prisoner to eat the nuts stored in the tree, and Timmy does so but grows so fat he cannot escape the tree. He regains his freedom when a storm topples part of the tree. The tale contrasts the harmonious marriage of its title character with the less than harmonious marriage of the chipmunk.

<i>The Story of a Fierce Bad Rabbit</i> Childrens book by Beatrix Potter

The Story of A Fierce Bad Rabbit is a children’s book written and illustrated by Beatrix Potter, and first published by Frederick Warne & Co. in December 1906. The book tells of a bad little rabbit who forcefully takes another rabbit's carrot, but soon loses his tail and whiskers after being fired upon by a hunter. The book was intended for babies and very young children, and was originally published on a strip of paper that folded into a wallet and was tied with a ribbon. The format was unpopular with booksellers, and eventually reprinted in the standard small book format of the Peter Rabbit library. Although the book sold well, there are not many left in existence. It provides the young child with an introduction to books and the Peter Rabbit universe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frederick Warne & Co.</span> British publisher

Frederick Warne & Co. is a British publisher founded in 1865. It is known for children's books, particularly those of Beatrix Potter, and for its Observer's Books.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tabitha Twitchit</span> Fictional character

Mrs. Tabitha Twitchit is a fictional anthropomorphic cat who features in the books of Beatrix Potter. She is a shopkeeper and the long-suffering mother of three unruly kittens, Moppet, Mittens and Tom Kitten.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moss Eccles Tarn</span> Tarn or reservoir

Moss Eccles Tarn is a tarn on Claife Heights, near Near Sawrey in the Lake District, Cumbria. It is currently owned by the National Trust and known as an attractive tarn for fishing and walking. It is known for its association with Beatrix Potter – she owned the tarn and donated it to the National Trust after her death, and it served as inspiration for some of her stories.

References

Footnotes
  1. Taylor 1989, p. 22
  2. "Hill Top, Claife" . Retrieved 4 December 2014.
  3. Historic England. "Hill Top (1087304)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 4 December 2014.
  4. Taylor 1989, pp. 223
  5. Taylor 1989, p. 25
  6. Taylor 1989, p. 26
  7. "Discover the garden at Hill Top".
  8. "Peter Rabbit: Why the Japanese love Beatrix Potter" . Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  9. "How Beatrix Potter opens doors in Japan". Insider Media. Retrieved 3 February 2011.
  10. "Hawkshead". nationaltrustcollections.org.uk. National Trust Collections. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
Works cited