Beatrix Potter's Human Friends

The massive success of Peter Rabbit changed Potter’s life forever. With the income from the books, she bought a farm in Sawrey, a quiet rural community in a  mountainous region of England called the ‘Lake District’. She moved to Sawrey full-time after meeting William Heelis, and marrying him in 1913. Beatrix quickly established herself as an active member of the village: she lent her farm fields to the Girl Guide Troops, and she arranged for Surrey to have its first district nurse. Although shy and reserved by nature, she was often willing to meet with those who admired her tales. Her legacy still inspires people today. The Beatrix Potter Society, for example, continues to promote and study her work. One member of the Society, John Cawood, has even followed in Potter’s footsteps, illustrating books of his own.