Beatrix Potter bought Hill Top in 1905 with the money she had earned from her first few books. Her first few books were written in London, but were based on her family holidays in the Lakes. Beatrix then wrote many of her famous children's stories in Hill Top. Characters such as Tom Kitten, Samuel Whiskers and Jemima Puddleduck were all created here, and the books contain many pictures based on the house and garden. There is a traditional cottage garden attached, containing mainly old-fashioned flowers.
Roses grow round the front door, and there is a variaey of fruit trees in the garden.
When she died in 1943, she left Hill Top to the National Trust, and it has been kept exactly as she left it, complete with her furniture and china. It is a very popular site for visitors today, only 800 people a day are allowed through Hill Top, and a timed entry system operates. The National Trust advises that you avoid peak periods on account of the delays. Find a nice hotel to stay at in Cumbria click here .