Hill Top

County: Cumbria

Month Visited: September 2017

My childhood heavily consisted of nursery rhymes, Winnie the Pooh and of course Beatrix Potter illustrations. I had the whole set, even to this day if I mention Beatrix Potter to my mother she asks me if I remember her reading them to me as a child. Her books are sold every 15 seconds! So naturally when booking a trip to the Lake District for a week, I knew I would spend a portion of this time reliving my childhood.

The property is open to visitors via timed tickets, so we arrived early before opening to ensure we could definitely get enter at the same time. It is a little remote in a village called Near Sawrey - there isn't much to do if you have to wait around!

Beatrix who was born and raised in London, spent every summer in Scotland or the Lakes. Entering the property I wasn't quite sure what to expect.  Her half-acre cottage garden still reflects Beatrix’s own informal, higgledy-piggledy style. There’s a small vegetable garden opposite the house and 34-acres of working farm.. The rooms are small, with lots of oak panelling which makes the property appear dark and gloomy.


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
• The Tale of Samuel Whiskers or The Roly-Poly Pudding

In return for all the inspiration the landscape gave to Beatrix, she protected it. She used the money from her books to buy more farms and land under threat of development. She worked closely with the Trust to help preserve the Lakes. Her contribution to the Trust is so valued that its head office is named Heelis, her married name, in her honour.

The National Trust also displays material related to Beatrix Potter at the Beatrix Potter Gallery at Hawkshead. Post on this here.

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RATING

Summary

-Located in Cumbria

-This is a National Trust Property

-This is a Grade II* listed building

-Toilets are available on site
-Tickets are timed

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INFORMATION

Address Sizergh, near Kendal, Cumbria, LA8 8DZ

Telephone +441539560951

Email sizergh@nationaltrust.org.uk

Website https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/sizergh 

Parking Free 

Nearest Station Kendal Train Station