Beatrix Potter's doll's house back on display in Lake District

Yahoo

14-02-2025

A doll's house, once owned by Beatrix Potter, has gone back on display in the Lake District after being given conservation treatment by National Trust experts.
Its collection of tiny pieces of furniture, plaster food, cutlery, and other items inspired many illustrations in her book 'The Tale of Two Bad Mice.'
A team of conservators worked on the doll's house itself and the 73 miniature objects inside it.
Experts at the Trust's Textile Conservation Studio in Norfolk worked on a carpet, upholstered furniture, and dolls' clothes.
Other Trust conservators at the Royal Oak Foundation Conservation Studio in Kent tackled pieces of wooden furniture, ceramic and glass items, and paper, including wallpaper, watercolours, and drawings.
Now returned to Hill Top, Beatrix Potter's farm near Hawkshead, it is the focal point of a new exhibit exploring the story it influenced.
The New Room, an extension to the farm added by Beatrix Potter, now hosts the display, featuring advanced lighting and an interactive case that lets visitors highlight treasured items she received from her publisher, Norman Warne, for inspiration.
Items which appear as illustrations in the book include cutlery, a saucepan, bellows, birdcage, coal scuttle, and the food that Hunca Munca and Tom Thumb try to steal, before they discovered it was glued to the plates.
Beatrix Potter wrote about this food saying "The things will do beautifully; the ham's appearance is enough to cause indigestion."
Later, Norman proposed marriage, and Beatrix accepted, but he passed away before they could wed, giving the miniature doll's house items deep personal significance.
Years later, in the 1930s, Beatrix acquired a doll's house to hold her tiny treasures, allowing children to play with them.
Now fully restored, with the doll's house repaired and its objects cleaned and prepared for display, it serves as the centrepiece of the New Room.
The lighting includes a console which visitors can control to light up sections of the house.
Animations of Beatrix's mice will also be shown and there's a doll's house replica for children to play with.
Katy Canales, Hill Top property curator, said: "The doll's house contents are really important because they feature so strongly in one of Beatrix's best loved tales but also because of the significance to her life and her relationship with Norman Warne.
"It is always one of the more popular items with our visitors but now the conservators have done a wonderful job to bring it back up to such a high standard it is good to have it as the centrepiece of our new display.
"Beatrix acquired this doll's house in her 70s and welcomed the children in her life to play with it.
"Now, in that same spirit, visitors can spotlight items in the house and discover the stories behind them.
"Our new display continues her legacy and invites everyone to be playful."
Preserving the doll's house and its 73 miniature items took approximately 300 hours of work.
Repairs included stabilising part of the decorative roof edge, filling cracks and old screw holes, and restoring torn wallpaper.
Vinyl flooring that was lifting was secured, carpets were mended, and various objects were reinforced to prevent further deterioration.
Broken or loose pieces were reattached before undergoing detailed cleaning.
Silk cushion covers on the furniture were repaired and dry cleaned using micro-vacuum cleaners.
Alongside the doll's house, the display features a previously unseen letter.
Recently acquired, the handwritten note from Beatrix Potter to a young American boy includes a description and illustration of her pet mouse, Hunca Munca, resting on her finger.
The Doll's House conservation will feature in the upcoming series of 'Hidden Treasures of the National Trust' which is set to be broadcast on BBC2 and available on iPlayer this spring.