A new National Trust exhibition ‘Telling Tales’, opens on Saturday 16 February, at the Beatrix Potter Gallery in Hawkshead. ‘Telling Tales’ explores the enduring popularity of Beatrix’s characters and stories, and explores why they still play a part in lives across the globe today.
Wandering through the crooked corridors and wooden stairs of the quirky Beatrix Potter Gallery, you can get up close to over 30 original Beatrix Potter illustrations. These are displayed alongside rarely seen items from the collection, which Beatrix left to the National Trust on her death.
Her skill as a storyteller is such that the tales that started life in this corner of the Lake District have come to be a symbol of childhood that continue to delight audiences worldwide. The exhibition unpicks why this love of the famous little books such as The Tale of Jeremy Fisher and The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin is passed down from one generation to the next.
Liz MacFarlane, National Trust House & Collections Manager said “Some of my earliest memories are of eating porridge from my Peter Rabbit porringer and reading the words as they became uncovered. So many people have nostalgic feelings about the little books and their characters. This year’s exhibition explores that strong emotional connection we have with Mrs Tiggy-Winkle or Jemima Puddle-Duck.”
The team at the Beatrix Potter Gallery will also be working in the new Conservation Hub on Fridays. During these conservation sessions, visitors will not only have special access to Beatrix’s personal items but will get a unique insight into how the National Trust look after and catalogue this globally significant body of work, right here in the heart of the Lakes.
Nearby Wray Castle are also asking visitors to get creative with their new Great Wray Castle Drawing Challenge. Inspired by Beatrix Potter, who stayed at Wray Castle in her teens, the drawing challenge is aimed at all ages and family members. Complete the artistic tasks around the Castle and collect your certificate to take home or add to the Castle’s pop-up Drawing Room Gallery.
The ‘Telling Tales’ exhibition opens at the Beatrix Potter Gallery in Hawkshead on 16 February and runs until 3 November 2019. Hill Top and Wray Castle also reopen on 16 February at 10am. www.nationaltrust.org.uk/thelakes