More than 70 miniature items restored for Beatrix Potter’s doll’s house
A dolls’ house and its contents, once owned by children’s author Beatrix Potter, is now gone back on display in the Lake District following a bit of TLC by conservation experts.
The collection of tiny pieces of furniture, plaster food, cutlery and other items inspired many illustrations in her book, The Tale of Two Bad Mice.
Experts at the National Trust’s Textile Conservation Studio in Norfolk worked on a number of key elements, including: carpet, upholstered furniture and the dolls’ clothes.
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.
The house is back at Hill Top, Beatrix Potter’s farm near Hawkshead. It is the central feature of a new display all about the tale it inspired.
The New Room, which was added in an extension to the farm by Beatrix Potter, is being used for the new display with state-of-the-art lighting and an interactive display case.
The case allows visitors to spotlight Beatrix’s treasured items given to her by her publisher Norman Warne for inspiration.
The items which appear as illustrations in the tale include cutlery, a saucepan, bellows, birdcage, coal scuttle along with the food that Hunca Munca and Tom Thumb try to steal – before discovering it is glued to the plates.
Beatrix Potter’s doll’s house following conservation work. Image: (c) Annapurna Mellor / National Trust Images.
‘The things will do beautifully’
Beatrix Potter wrote about this food saying: The things will do beautifully; the ham’s appearance is enough to cause indigestion.
Later, Norman sent a marriage proposal, which Beatrix accepted, but, tragically, he died before they could marry. As such, the miniature items held huge significance.
Much later, in the 1930s, Beatrix bought the dolls’ house for her tiny treasures, so that they could be played with by children.
The dolls’ house is now fully repaired and the objects cleaned for the exhibit which is the centre piece in the new room.
The new lighting includes a console which visitors can control themselves to light up individual parts of the house. Animations of Beatrix’s beloved mice will also be shown and there’s even a dolls’ house replica for children to enjoy.
‘The dolls’ 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,’ says Katy Canales, Hill Top Property Curator.
‘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 dolls’ house in her 70s and welcomed the children in her life to play with it.’
Continuing her legacy
‘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.’
Conservators spent around 300 hours working on the dolls’ house and 73 of the items it contains. The house needed work to stabilise part of the decorative roof edge as well as filling cracks and previous screw holes.
Torn wallpaper was repaired and areas of lifting vinyl floors were tackled – along with carpet repairs.
Many of the objects in the house needed work to stabilise and prevent further deterioration as well as re-attaching broken or loose pieces before detailed cleaning.
Silk cushion covers on the furniture were repaired and dry cleaned using micro-vacuum cleaners.
Other items on display alongside the doll’s house include a never-before-seen letter. Newly acquired, the handwritten letter from Beatrix Potter to a young American boy contains a description and illustration of her pet mouse Hunca Munca resting on her finger.
‘This is one of hundreds of letters that Beatrix wrote to children across the world to support their love of reading and share her love of animals and storytelling,’ says Katy.
‘It features the escapades of her beloved pets Mrs Tiggy and Hunca Munca, who would go on to inspire her future tales.’
Two Bad Mice: Pets to Page
Hill Top’s New Room also hosts a new display. Entitled Two Bad Mice: Pets to Page, it mixes original objects from across the Beatrix Potter collection along with projected animations and interactive displays.
The exhibition includes a newly commissioned film exploring the behind-the-scenes work done to care for the doll’s house and its contents.
The film examines the process of how Beatrix created the layers of narrative and make-believe in the story, her relationship with Norman Warne and its significance to her both professionally and personally.
The New Room’s walls are enlivened with projected animations of Beatrix Potter’s illustrations and visitors will need watch their step as the floor features the images of Beatrix’s Old Brown, Tom Kitten, Squirrel Nutkin and Mrs Tittlemouse.
The exhibition continues until November 2026.
