Why did the chickens cross the road...?

... to get to Hill Top of course! At least several chickens did this week.

I'm getting used to the unusual (if that makes any sense at all) in my job with the National Trust. This Tuesday was a classic with the call coming over the radio 'Car park to Jo, can you come down and help us catch some chickens please?' So off I went and found that the chickens who live opposite had decided to cross the road to visit us at Hill Top. Ken managed to catch a couple and return them, but they were doing a great job of entertaining our visitors and dodging cars! Normal service was resumed fairly swiftly with all chickens returned home safe and sound after their adventure.

One of Hill Top's more unusual visitors

There's always something new happening at Wray Castle, and this week has been no exception. Rose has been working with the Secret Windermere project to install an exhibition of sculptures made from the rubbish which was brought up from the lake. Your first thought might be that this sounds dirty and dreadful but it's exactly the opposite - it's fab! I loved it! A professional artist has worked with the materials and the local primary school to create all sort of creatures which could be swimming in Windermere. And it's amazing to see what some people have lost in the lake!





Come and have a look the next time you're in the area - the exhibition is on all summer through to September.


This is my favourite time of year at Hill Top, a time when I feel so lucky to spend my working days here in this beautiful place. It's no surprise to me at all that Beatrix fell in love with it and gained so much inspiration for her writing, her art and her conservation work. The garden always looks lovely, whatever time of year it is, but in my opinion, in late May to mid June it's at it's most colourful and best. So I've just been out to take a few photos of it to share with you. Hope you enjoy.


I love this purple wisteria which covers the roof of Pete the Gardener's shed. It's always out a bit later than the white wiseria and the smell is gorgeous




The white wisteria is so much better than last year, when it was very sparse



Although a bit past their best now, the azaleas have been lovely, despite being battered by the rain






And the veg garden is doing well too - especially the rhubarb

And finally, the path where Tom Kitten, Mittens and Moppet played, looking lush and lovely.

Hope you enjoyed that!

Jo

Petro Cuniculo?

They didn't do Latin at my school. I grew up in the industrial North-East and I guess there wasn't much call for it at British Steel or ICI. In any case, given the speed with which I dropped French I probably would have struggled with it. If I had been able to study Latin though, it would have come in very useful indeed in what I eventually chose as my career.

All living things; animals, plants, fungi and algae all have what is called a binomial or Latin name which consists of a genus and a species eg Homo sapiens (that's you and me), Rana temporaria (the common frog), Erinaceus europaeus (the hedgehog), Digitalis purpurea (foxglove), Balaenoptera musculus (blue whale) well, you get the idea.

The purpose of this binomial is to make it easy for scientists around the world to talk to each other without getting confused over common names and different languages (it also has the added bonus of making zoologists, botanists and certainly gardeners appear more intelligent than they really are). For example, in England what we call the bluebell is Hyacinthoides non-scripta, but in Scotland they call Campanula rotundifolia the bluebell which in England we call the Harebell, and in America and Australia the bluebell is something different again. Confused yet?


Bluebells (except for viewers in Scotland).

The other great thing about Latin names is that they often tell us a bit about the plant in question and its relations. For instance from the name Primula pulverulenta I know that the plant belongs to the primula genus which includes all primroses and that its leaves are coated with a creamy-white flour (technically known as farina), because pulverulentus means dusty in Latin.

Which brings me on to my 'Plant of the Month' the Wisteria. At Hill Top we have two of them, a white one on the house and a mauve-blue one on the gardener's shed and they are both coming into flower right now. Both of them are Wisteria sinensis but the white one is Wisteria sinensis 'Alba' (alba meaning white in Latin). The Wisteria part of the name tell us that it is in the same family as the other common wisteria, Wisteria floribunda (floribunda means free-flowering in Latin), and the sinensis bit means it comes from China (sinensis meaning Chinese).

Wisteria sinensis



The wisterias at Hill Top are more or less left to their own devices apart from cutting back the long growths in August and late winter and they thrive on our sunny (?) south-facing walls.

If you haven't got a suitable wall you can have complete control of your wisteria by growing it as a free-standing little tree in a pot. it's a labour of love but the results can be impressive (check out the internet for instructions), or cheat and buy one ready trained!

If your wisteria refuses to flower, there can be a number of reasons-
- not enough sunshine
-lack of feed (use a high potash fertilizer)
-incorrect pruning
-a non-grafted plant (might take thirty years to flower)
-not enough water
-too much water

If all else fails dig it out and go to the garden centre in May and buy one you can see flowering!

Oh, and my blog title this month? Peter Rabbit in Latin of course!

Words and picture by Pete the Gardener

You learn something new every day!

Never was a truer phrase uttered. Despite having been at Hill Top for several years now, there's always something new to discover.

For example, I knew that Beatrix used the landscape and her surroundings as inspiration for her stories, but this week at Hill Top I discovered where Beatrix got Aunt Pettitoes' name from. You, of course, may already know this, but if you don't it might be of interest. I was talking to a visitor in Hill Top kitchen and using the 1911 edition of 'Mrs. Beeton's Cookery Book'. On page 161 I came across a recipe for 'Pig's Pettitoes, stewed'. It seems that 'pettitoes' was the word used in recipes for 'sucking-pigs feet'. So there you go - but I have to say it didn't sound like a very appetising dish at all.
(You'll find Aunt Pettitoes in 'The Tale of Pigling Bland' which celebrates it's centenary this year.)

Another thing I learned this week was the name of one of my favourite large shrubs in Hill Top garden. Every year I admire it's delicate bell shaped flowers and every year I promise myself I'll find out what it is.


Enkianthus Campanulatus alias Redvein enkianthus

 So this year, Pete the Gardener told me that its an Enkianthus Campanulatus - common
name Redvein enkianthus. It's a large, very hardy shrub which can grow to 2.5 - 4 metres over a 20 - 50 year period. It really is lovely and you'll find ours half way up Hill Top path on the right hand side.



Pete the Gardener - a hardy perennial if ever there was one!

Speaking of Pete the Gardener, (you'll find his fab blogs on this site) we're celebrating his 25years service with the National Trust this week. 'But he doesn't look old enough' I hear you say! So it's off to the Tower Bank Arms pub we go to celebrate with him!

Don't forget to come and see us at either The Beatrix Potter Gallery at Hawkshead or Hill Top in Near Sawrey. We're now operating on our full summer
hours:
Gallery - daily 10.30am - 5pm
Hill Top - Sat - Thurs 10am - 5pm
Wray Castle daily 10am - 5pm
Jo.

Dog on the Blog

Sadly, ticket office dog, Jessie, chased her last rabbit at the end of the year.  We now have Sam to keep us in order.  He is a Working Cocker (or Wocker), as mad as the rest of us but better looking than most.

                 As a true member of the team he enjoys the odd biscuit!

Look for him in the ticket offices at Hill Top and the Beatrix Potter Gallery, or as a flash of brown dashing through the bluebells at Wray Castle.

He's not the first spaniel with a Beatrix Potter connection as she had her own called Spot when she was a girl, here's the two of them together (although he looks like he'd prefer to be dashing through the bluebells himself.)

Beatrix Potter with Spot, aged about 15 (Beatrix not Spot)

Summer seems on occasion tantalisingly close, but when the cloud does descend we've been consoling visitors with the fact that Wordsworth, Coleridge and Co. rejoiced in the atmospheric 'vapours' of the Lake District.  Indeed, as a child, I thought the idea of 'walking in the clouds' up to Angle Tarn above Ullswater was truly 'awesome'.  The reality was a bit wet!

 

However, lets hope that whenever you read this, the rabbits in Hill Top orchard are basking in the sunshine and the buzzards riding the thermals above the fells.  Some of the ticket office team may even be enjoying a swim in a lakeland tarn!

Post and 'Sam' photos Sue Visitor Services Supervisor

Beatrix Potter photo copyright National Trust

Peter Rabbit, Beatrix Potter - and the world!

The last few days have seen lots of really exciting goings on around are area of the Lakes - all inspired by Beatrix and what she did 100+ years ago.  There is always lots of interest in Beatrix and her life in the Lakes, particularly around Hill Top, the very first place she bought and the place that remained most special to her.  The 'Miss Potter' film in 2006 generated a massive increase in visitors to Hill Top and other places - and in a few days time, there will be another major new series starting...  However, I jump ahead!

Miss Potter - still very popular (and you can buy the DVD from our Hill Top Shop and support us that way!)

We were very busy on Wednesday hosting a several Japanese press visits including a TV crew shooting for a new show on the Lakes (if you are in Japan in July, keep your eyes open for 'Kosuichihou' on the screen!)  This involved filming inside Hill Top as well as in the garden, the village and other places associated with Beatrix.  We also had a visit from a team from Sony in Japan, also accompanied by a number of press who were also visiting in preparation for the new Peter Rabbit series - it's easy to forget just how 'big' Peter and Beatrix are in Japan and in many other countries around the world.

Cath welcoming the Japanese press to Hill Top - konichiwa!

Later in the week, we welcomed some of the team from Silvergate media and Penguin books who have been working on a new Peter Rabbit animation series for children.  We've been helping them for several years to develop this (it is very much based on the Lakes and the area that Beatrix loved so much) and they were here to discuss how we move it forward.  Indeed, keep your eyes open on our Wray Castle site from some exciting news in the next couple of weeks... http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/wray-castle/

They were also here for Saturday, which saw the launch of the new series by the BBC and CBeebies at Zeffirellis cinema in Ambleside.  As one of the key partners with this, several of us were lucky enough to be invited to the premiere - and we then took a number of those present on a boat trip to Wray Castle, the place where, in 1882, Beatrix and her family stayed and where she started her lifelong love of the Lakes.  As well as giving those folks a short taste of what the Castle has to offer, we were also able to persuade everyone else on the boat to come and have a look round as well!

Coming in to the Jetty at Wray Castle - definitely the way to arrive!

It was really exciting to see the new animation series - and keep your eyes open in the next few weeks to see when it launches on CBeebies - it is aimed at about the 3 to 6 year old, but is just as good for the older amongst us!  You'll see many characters that you'll know already - Peter, Benjamin, Nutkin and Mr Tod - as well as a new character called Lily, who is set on Beatrix herself.  We're really hoping that it will bring Peter to a new audience - and from this, to Beatrix, to the classic tales that she wrote, and then to the Lakes and the work we do looking after these special places.  And, as well as all these extra special events and goings on - we've also been very busy looking after all our visitors to give them a great time with us - and looking after the very places that have inspired so much.

A very sneak preview - welcome to Peter, Benjamin - and Lily, coming soon to a screen near you!

 Finally, this week ended with a big local event, the Brathay marathon, where runners complete a circuit of Windermere, England's largest lakes!  The course runs right past the Beatrix Potter Gallery in Hawkshead - and this year, a group of Brownies were visiting and they all had loads of fun cheering and 'high fiving' the many runners as they went past!

4 miles down - 22 to go, but lots of cheering here!

 As you can see - lots has been going on and it's great for us to be able to tell you a bit more about what goes on beyond the day to day operation of our houses - and keep your eyes open on our websites and with the BBC for the exciting new things that will be coming soon...

John

Ne'er cast a clout...

The expression 'ne'er cast a clout 'til May be out' is well known and often repeated at this time of year. Most of us take it as a warning not to be too keen to put away our warm clothes (clouts) until the end of May when summer is definitely here. There is another theory that the 'May' refers not to the month but to the blossom of the Hawthorn tree, known as May blossom. So to put it another way, 'don't go out without a jacket until the hawthorn is flowering'! The hawthorn isn't flowering here yet so I'm keeping my jacket handy.



May blossom (not this year)!

It was the Sawrey May Queen festivities this weekend when the new 'Queen of the May' and the retiring queen ride in a horse drawn carriage between the villages of Near and Far Sawrey. The rest of the village children ride in a trailer pulled by a vintage tractor while the parents and others walk behind. The village hall in Far Sawrey then plays host to a brief play featuring St. George (hurrah) and the dragon (boooo), maypole dancing and the crowning of the new queen. Inside the hall there is a cake stall, plant sales, a tombola, cream teas and a raffle. A good time is had by all.

My job for the last few years has been to decorate the trailer with flowers. This year with spring being late and the festivities a little earlier than usual there weren't a great deal to choose from. Fortunately the daffodils were still flowering,  so I begged, borrowed and stole flowers from various gardens in the area! I think it turned out ok in the end.



Spot the dragon!



Meanwhile at Hill Top, the garden seems to have gone into overdrive in the last couple of weeks especially the rhubarb which I swear if you stand still you can actually see growing. It's producing a load of flower spikes which look very spectacular but need to be cut off to concentrate the growth into the leaves. It's doing so well, I might even be persuaded to give some to the house staff!


Rhubarb

 There's lots of seed sowing to be done in the veg garden in the next few weeks, runner beans, peas, carrots etc etc all need to be sown but it still feels too early to put out any tender plants so my courgettes will stay in the greenhouse for a while yet, at least until the May blossom is out!

Words and pictures by Pete the Gardener



The Lost Art of Keeping a Secret

We at the Beatrix Potter Gallery in Hawkshead have a secret - a really well kept secret! We have a second hand book shop! The problem is - we don't want it to be a secret! We want the world to know about our Book Shop!

There are a couple of things that make it a special place: it's almost certainly the smallest Book Shop in the UK and the building features in one of Beatrix Potter's books - The Tale of the Pie and the Patty Pan.

It is in a wee building next door to the Gallery and is run by a team of volunteers, who are always happy to chat to people and answer any questions – regarding the National Trust or the Lake District in general. (Oh – yes – and on books too!)

The volunteers and myself have had a couple of fun training sessions in which we learnt what to look out for in a book – what makes a book desirable. This did somewhat alter our pre-conceived ideas and gave us more confidence in pricing the actual books. We’ve also been learning how to make best possible use of our tiny space; how to display books more attractively.

After our training we are planning a big sort out – putting all we’ve learnt into practice. We’ve started on a few things – but look out – we have BIG ideas for such a small Book Shop!

Rather than try and be all things to all people in such a small shop - We are looking to specialise in a couple of areas. The two most obvious areas for us, as we're part of the Beatrix potter Gallery, are Children’s Literature and also local/walking/mountain books. But as we're in a prime holiday area - of course we're still going to stock a wide range of fiction.

We are always on the look out for new folk to join our volunteer team, give donations of books or buy some lovely books - maybe you  would like to do one or all of those things!

We look forward to seeing you - and please - just this once - don't keep a secret!

What's going on at Wray?

It's been a whole month since Wray Castle opened and a lot of things have happened since then. It might be easier for me to list what hasn't being going on, rather than what has being going on, as the latter is quite a long list! However, I realise that such a list of non-events would not make a very interesting blog so here are a few highlights from the past month.

After the Arctic start to the season, Easter, by comparison, was positively tropical. The sun shone and there was no rain for days, which meant that our planned outside Easter Egg Hunt could go ahead as well as the back up indoor hunt too. We got through several hundred chocolate eggs and only a couple got eaten by staff at the end of the holidays! 


A young visitor with some excellent examples of Easter Crafts.


We welcomed lots and lots of families, many of whom were returning for a second, third or fourth visit. Our Easter Crafts were a great success, as illustrated above by the fantastic Easter Bonnet and pom-pom chic proudly on display.

For smaller children our new foam blocks are proving to be very popular; some visitors definitely showed a preference for demolition rather than building though!



Demolition by head but!

 The recent dry and sunny weather has been great news for walkers and cyclist too, many of whom now make Wray Castle Cafe a stop off point for tea, coffee and most importantly, cake! Last week we welcomed our first ever (I think?) visitors to arrive by horse. The re-surfaced Western Shore Bridleway is not only great for cycling on but is now much easier for horses to use too.

Icelandic Horses Blakkur and Gigja outside Wray Castle.

 These beautiful creatures are Icelandic Horses, a small but strong breed of horse and were ridden to the Castle by Nadine and Phil Butler. It would be lovely to see more horses and riders at Wray Castle; we can provide carrots and polo mints if required!!

Inside the castle work has continued on two different artistic projects. In the dressing up space upstairs, two mural scenes are taking shape; complete with a fire breathing dragon, handsome prince, splendid princess and a unicorn!


One of the murals in the dressing up room.

 The other painting project is being created downstairs in the library. Work started last week on our tromphe l'oeil bookshelves which will help recreate the spirit of the room as well as continuing our activity of allowing visitors to add their favourite book titles to the walls. Work on the tromphe l'oeil is being done in full public view so please come along and ask our artists about their work.



The bookshelves taking shape in the library.

And finally; after all the hard work over Easter, last night we had a well deserved get together for all South Lakes staff and volunteers. The event was held at Claife Station, an eighteenth century viewing station that sits just above Ferry House on the Western Shore of Windermere. The viewing station, unsurprisingly has amazing views across the lake, which originally would have been viewed through different coloured glass in the tall windows situated on the first floor of the station.



Staff and volunteers enjoying the view.

 A project is about to kick off to look into ways of repairing the ruin and making it more accessible for visitors, for more information about the site please see our website. Last night was a great opportunity for our teams to learn more about the site and start thinking about what we could do there. Gazing at the view is most definitely top of the list!



The view looking south from Claife Station.

 The weather may be slightly unpredictable at the moment, but the views from both Wray Castle and Claife Station are certainly worth braving the rain for!

Beatrix goes to Tatton

Beatrix Potter was a huge supporter of and benefactor to the National Trust and this year the National Trust's Tatton Park is giving its visitors the opportunity to learn more about, and see work by, our very own Beatrix.  Tatton is an historic house and estate in Cheshire, on the doorstep of a large urban population so it's the perfect place to introduce Beatrix to a wider audience.

Liz our House & Collections Manager, has already been involved with getting the selection of Beatrix's artwork being exhibited down to Tatton and in addition she will be giving a talk there on the 4th May; and Pete, our gardener (well-known to regular readers of this blog) will be giving a talk there centred around Hill Top garden on Sunday 21st July.

The summer-long celebration called The Magic of Beatrix Potter includes an exhibition featuring some of her watercolours and an enchanting programme of family events and activities. Some of Beatrix Potter's finest watercolours are on display in the Amber Bedroom of the Mansion. In addition there will be storytelling in the Library at weekends and a Mrs Tiggywinkle trail for younger visitors to follow (although we can't guarantee they'll see Mrs T herself!).
 

Animals on the table is not something we normally encourage!

Here are some useful links to learn more:

• Here a link for more information about Tatton Park
•  Here's the link for more information about Liz's event;
• And here's a link for the programme of events .

post by Linda | photos from Tatton Park Facebook

Wrong turn!

In my blog on the first of February I optimistically wrote 'there are signs that spring is, if not 'just around the corner' at least in the right postcode'. Well it seems that Spring's sat nav has been playing up and it has spent the last two months heading in completely the wrong direction!

Like most of the country, we've had snow, frost, biting arctic winds and the result is that plants in the garden are three to four weeks behind this time last year. It's as though someone pressed a giant 'pause' button in early February and it got stuck on. I'm told it is going to warm up soon and when spring finally does arrive gardeners everywhere will be working flat out to catch up with all the sowing and planting that's been delayed. And the spring flowers will overlap with the summer flowers and...it could well be a hectic year!

But every cloud has a silver lining and the late spring has meant that I have had more time to finish the winter jobs that got put off due to the heavy snow.
The first was to replace a very wobbly rustic trellis at the side of the house. It had been in place for quite a few years and was only being held up by the rose that was attached to it. Needless to say, it came down very easily and I replaced it with one made from ash saplings from one of our woods (they needed thinning out anyway). A few hours with a saw, a drill, a hammer and some big nails and I was quite pleased with the result.

New trellis

I also took a trip to Barrow to collect a trailer load of compost from the local recycling centre. It's made from the contents of South-Lakeland's green waste bins which is shredded up and put in a big heap where it breaks down, producing much heat which kills off weed seeds and other nasties. The result is a beautiful dark compost which will add much needed organic matter to the rain-washed Hill Top soil. I took a Land Rover and trailer with me and came back with 1.2 tonnes of the stuff which seemed like an awful lot when I tipped it in a pile by the farm gate.



Black gold!

When I started barrowing it around the garden though, it quickly became apparent that I could have done with twice as much, so I might just have to go back for another load.
I also collected about half a tonne of horse manure from a local stables but it was a bit fresh to put straight on the garden so I filled up one of my compost bins with it and will use it later in the year.

My third job this month was a quick trip to a bustling Wray Castle to spruce up last years planters a bit and plant up two half-barrel tubs at the front entrance which are strategically placed over unsightly manhole covers. If the deer will keep off them they should provide a nice splash of colour outside the mostly grey castle. 

Planters and new tubs

That's all for this month, by my next blog we'll surely be basking in lovely warm spring weather and everything will be blooming marvellous(ly). If not, I'm emigrating!

Words and pictures by Pete the Gardener.

Love is in the air (cue for a song) at Hill Top!

 After clearing Hill Top car park and paths of snow, there was a welcome respite for staff and visitors last Saturday (23^rd March).

Daniel Winter had contacted us a few weeks beforehand to tell us that he was planning to bring his girlfriend, Helen Mint, to Hill Top to propose to her. He told us that Helen has been a lifelong enthusiast for Beatrix Potter and her work, so proposing in Beatrix’s house would make the event even more special for the two of them.

The very snowy day dawned, and we were a little concerned that the couple would be able to get here as several of the local roads were tricky to get through. But get through they did, and we were delighted to hear that Helen said yes!

So here are the happy couple (in a very rare photo taken inside Hill Top – but we thought this special occasion deserved it!).

Congratulations to you both and best wishes for the future from the whole Hill Top team!

This is the second proposal we’ve had at Hill Top this year, and both have been perfectly timed to match the centenary of Beatrix’s own wedding to William Heelis in 1913 – the photo below shows Beatrix and William on the day before their wedding, taken by Beatrix’s father, Rupert.

Whilst some of us were keeping the home fires burning at Hill Top and The Beatrix Potter Gallery, the other half of our team was opening Wray Castle. The portcullis was raised for the first time to visitors on the 23^rd March, although the weather and snow seemed to be conspiring against us.



Snowy steps for opening day!



  

Just a few more photos of the team getting everything ready.



 

Lottie, Christina and Corrin giving the staircase a final polish



Jamie hoovering - Rose made us all wear the delightful blue overshoes!





Rangers caught having a breather whist installing the Outdoor Room - just don't tell John A!



And in case you think I was joking about the snow and some of the local roads, here are a few photos taken by Mandy, one of our Visitor Experience Assts – you’ll most likely see her in the Ticket Office at Hill Top, Beatrix Potter Gallery or Wray Castle. (When it's not snowing!)



If this isn't a good reason for not being able to get into work, I don't know what is!



Come and see us soon!
But all the snow has now gone, all roads and paths are clear - just wrap up warm and come and see us! And if you've got room for another Easter Egg, we've got trails at Hill Top, The Beatrix Potter Gallery and Wray Castle happening on Easter Sunday and Monday.