Beatrix Potter was born 150 years ago, growing up in London but holidaying in Scotland and the Lake District. It was there that she settled in later life, and there that she based many of her stories.
Her first children’s book, The Tale of Peter Rabbit, was published in October 1902 and was swiftly followed by The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin the following year.
Building on this immediate success, Frederick Warne & Co published several new Beatrix Potter tales each year.
Many of these were recommended by the Manchester Guardian as Christmas books for children, including The Tale of Mr Tod in 1912, which the paper predicted would be ‘amongst the most popular of her stories’.
Despite her popularity a case of mistaken identity occurred in the Guardian’s Miscellany column in 1913, at the height of her fame. A letter from one of Beatrix Potter’s neighbours pointed out the mistake.
Beatrix’s writing tailed off after the first world war, as she focused her efforts on farming and conservation.
In 1930 she purchased land around Coniston and donated a portion of it to the National Trust, initially managing the estate herself.
She died in December 1943 at Castle Cottage, Sawrey, in her beloved Lake District.
