Passing Showers, Hill Top, 1905 (AW32)

In 1905, with the royalties from her first book, Beatrix Potter took a momentous decision: to purchase this traditional seventeenth century farmhouse in Near Sawrey, in the Lake District, an area she had visited often with her parents on annual family holidays.
Some of her best-loved characters were created at Hill Top, including Tom Kitten and Jemima Puddleduck.
The house, garden and surrounding countryside all served as inspiration for her stories and illustrations.
Hill Top, which was enlarged in 1906, was the first of many farms Beatrix Potter purchased to preserve her beloved Lake District’s landscape.