Famous Britons: Beatrix Potter and Peter Rabbit

Dear friends of Training Center Raya – London, welcome back to our blog! Today, we introduce you to one of the UK’s most beloved children’s authors and illustrators. Learning English also means getting to know the culture of the British Isles, so follow along and discover some new words!

Beatrix Potter was born on July 28, 1866, in South Kensington, Middlesex, England. She came from a family that had inherited a fortune from cotton production, and her childhood was quite lonely. However, this changed when she spent long holidays in Scotland or the Lake District. There, she had various exciting encounters with wildlife and formed many friendships with the inhabitants of rabbit hutches, barns, and aviaries. Young Beatrix had a rich imagination, a keen eye, and an even keener hand and memory for detail. Her models were the animals that surrounded her.

At the age of 27, she sent a richly illustrated letter to the sick child of her former governess, containing a story about four cute bunnies – the sisters Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cottontail, and their baby brother Peter. The letter was received with such enthusiasm that Beatrix decided to publish it herself in 1901. The following year, Frederick Warne & Company officially published the story, complete with her characteristic illustrations. The reception was overwhelmingly positive, and over the next 20 years, Beatrix wrote and illustrated 22 more books.

Her charming characters, apart from Peter Rabbit and his family, include Jeremy Fisher, Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle, Benjamin Bunny, Squirrel Nutkin, Jemima Puddle-Duck, and many more. These characters are depicted with great detail and dressed in neat human clothes. The atmosphere in Beatrix Potter’s books reflects the comfort and peaceful life of rural England. The events are small and everyday, recreating the simple lives of the characters without major upheavals. The illustrations are masterfully done and unobtrusive, in the best traditions of English watercolorists. Many generations of children in England and around the world have grown up with these tales.

Beatrix Potter also developed a lasting and serious interest in English nature, closely examining and drawing mushrooms in detail. She even wrote a scientific paper, which she presented to the Linnean Society in 1897.

Beatrix’s personal life, however, was not always happy. She lived alone for many years, focused on her work. When she decided to marry Norman Warne, the son of her publisher, she faced opposition from her family. Despite this, she became engaged to him, but he suddenly died. Devastated by his death, she bought a farm at Hill Top with the income from her books and family money and lived there alone. In 1913, she married her lawyer, William Heelis, and for the next 30 years, she raised Herdwick sheep and expanded her farm.

Beatrix Potter passed away in 1943, bequeathing her lands to the National Trust, a charitable organization that maintains various country estates, farms, and historic houses through donations, protecting them from industrialization. To this day, her house remains preserved as she left it.

Author: Iveta Radeva