With support from the University of Richmond

History News Network

History News Network puts current events into historical perspective. Subscribe to our newsletter for new perspectives on the ways history continues to resonate in the present. Explore our archive of thousands of original op-eds and curated stories from around the web. Join us to learn more about the past, now.

Beatrix Potter's childhood retreat in Scotland put up for sale

A fishing spot where the children’s author and illustrator Beatrix Potter spent her summer holidays is for sale.

When she was a girl, the creator of Peter Rabbit visited Dalguise Fishings, on the Tay near Dunkeld, in Perthshire, where she is said to have developed her love of nature. She was a self-taught painter and kept a variety of pets.

The Potter family caught salmon in the river and Beatrix’s time there is thought to have provided the inspiration for characters such as the frog Mr Jeremy Fisher and the hedgehog Mrs Tiggywinkle.

The 1¼-mile fishing beat, on both banks of the river, includes a three-bedroom cottage, and is on offer for bids in excess of £760,000. The beat produces an annual catch of more than 100 salmon.

According to the property consultants CKD Galbraith, the land was originally owned by the Tempest family and let on a seasonal basis during the Victorian era, often to the Potter family. William Jackson, of CKD Galbraith, said: “Dalguise is one of those most attractive beats on the Middle Tay offering a wide variety of fishing. Its catches have been remarkably consistent and it is a beat likely to be of considerable interest.”

Beatrix Potter published 22 books, beginning in 1902 with The Tale of Peter Rabbit...
Read entire article at Times (UK)