
The Women of Hill Top Farm
Beatrix Potter didn’t just write children’s books; she was a hill farmer too. Caz Graham visits her first Lake District farm to meet the woman who’s just taken it on.
Hill Top Farm above Windermere was bought by Beatrix Potter in 1905 with the profits from her most famous children's book, the Tale of Peter Rabbit. It was there that Jemima Puddleduck, Tom Kitten and other famous fictional animals that populated her "little books" first came to life, inspired by what she saw in her vegetable garden on and her land.
It was also where she became a farmer, a prize-winning breeder of Herdwick sheep, a prominent member of the farming community and a fierce campaigner for conservation.
Now, for the first time since Beatrix, the farm is back in female hands. Amy Dixon, alongside her partner Daniel Fletcher, have just taken over the tenancy of this National Trust farm from Amy's dad.
Caz Graham hears their plans for the future, meets some very wet herdwick sheep and visits the old farmhouse to hear about Beatrix’s legacy for fell farming, conservation and her beloved herdwick sheep.
On radio
Broadcast
- Sun 28 Jun 202606:35BBC Radio 4