Hill Top – Beatrix Potter’s Home

I’ve always wanted to visit Beatrix Potter’s home Hill Top, in the Lake District. So imagine my disappointment when we drove into the car park and read a notice which said it was closed on Fridays – yes, it was Friday. I can’t really complain because it does have a key at the bottom of the National Trust book which makes it clear that it’s closed on Friday – but why is it? It’s such a popular place, we weren’t the only people who were hoping to get in that afternoon. Well I suppose we’ll go back another time. Of course, the NT shop WAS open! Anyway this is a photo of Hill Top, Beatrix Potter’s home.

Hill Top House

It’s quite a modest looking house, when you consider how rich she must have been, she was often mistaken for a tramp by visitors because she really wasn’t bothered what she looked like. When my mother-in-law was in the Brownies in the late 1920s her pack camped near this area on Potter land and Beatrix met them and gave them signed copies of her books.

Hill Top farmland 1

These photos look quite faded but that is how it looked, it was a bit misty and the grass looked almost yellow as it had recently been covered with loads of snow.

Hill Top farmland 2

The house above is the nearest one to Hill Top and this is the view which Beatrix would have from the front of her house.

a garden gate Hill Top

This teeny bit of walled garden is to the left hand side of Hill Top. It looks like the original Mr McGregor’s garden, much smaller than I had imagined it to be.

Below is the view you get looking to the left of the gate.

Hill Top garden left

And below is the view of the right hand side of the garden.

Hill Top garden right

And look who else was there, just on the other side of the wall there were some descendants of Peter Rabbit, not at all bothered about us, too busy munching.

rabbits at Hill Top

Some sheep were in the same part of the garden, complete with their lambs. It seems to me that being a ewe is quite a hard life, lambs are fairly aggressive, nothing was going to stop them from getting their milk.

sheep suckling

So we’ll have to go back and try again because I want to see the interior as the furniture which features in the book illustrations is still in the house.

We bought fudge and raspberry curd at the shop. I had only eaten lemon curd before but I recommend the raspberry curd – delicious.

14 thoughts on “Hill Top – Beatrix Potter’s Home

  1. Isn’t it nice to know you can go back again? My friends went to Paris for 3 days and the workers went on strike…no Louvre, museums, etc. Thanks as usual for the pictures.

    • Lorraine,
      Yes it’s an advantage when it only takes about 4 hours to drive there. The last time we went to France they were on strike too! It’s their national sport I think.

  2. ~Oh what a shame Hill Top was closed that day. It’s gorgeous. You could look at her books for an idea of what it’s like as she drew the interiors for her characters. I’m sure you will have looked at some of the websites and images online though.

    • evee,
      I have the books and also a craft book with designs based on things in the house, and photos of her dresser and such, but I wanted to see the real thing, we’ll get there sometime.

  3. I didn’t visit Hill Top when I was in the Lake District recently. But the last time I was there we had to get timed visit tickets. We rolled up at the door in the morning, but could only have a slot in the afternoon. It was irritating but I guess parking is the problem! However, it was worth it once we got inside – a really lovely farmhouse.

    • Linda,
      It’s obviously busier than I had imagined it would be, but there aren’t many parking places. Thanks for the warning. We’ll go as early as possible next time, at least we should get in in the afternoon that way!

  4. What lovely pictures–I like the affect of mist, it makes them look faded but very evocative of the mood. I would love to visit Hilltop, and will try to remember to avoid Fridays!

    • Jane GS,
      Thanks. I hope you get there sometime. And I hope you can get a National Trust tourist ticket otherwise it gets quite expensive if you want to visit lots of their properties.

  5. Sad you missed the interior, but the outside photos are pretty – I love the mist. What a beautiful view she had.
    Raspberry curd sounds amazing!

    • Anbolyn,
      We’ll get there sometime! I’m going to make raspberry curd when they are in season here, I’ve never seen it in any local shops.

  6. Oh that is a place I would love to visit. I do so love the film Miss Potter as well obviously all the books as well.

    There is something so beautiful about that area. Love the pictures.

    Now I like the sound of Raspberry Curd. I have some Lemon in the cupboard and I am thinking of making a bakewell tart with it, just like my nan used to make – she always used Lemon curd in it instead of jam.

    • Jo,
      If you ever get to the Lake Ditrict you might as well carry on and come to Scotland. Maybe the Edinburgh Book Festival would tempt you!

      Actually I remembered you saying your nan used lemon curd for bakewell tart – raspberry curd would be worth trying too. But I’m doing Grasmere gingerbread next and can’t bake anything else this week otherwise we’ll be rolling by next week!

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