A remarkable collection of previously unseen letters penned by beloved children’s author Beatrix Potter has come to light, revealing both her extravagant spending and candid opinions about her properties.
The 18 handwritten letters, carefully preserved by the family of Potter’s friend Elizabeth Tyson, are projected to fetch around £20,000 when auctioned. Tyson, who ran an antiques shop in Ambleside in England’s scenic Lake District, was a trusted advisor for Potter’s furnishing choices at her iconic Hill Top home.
In one charming letter dated 14 July 1933, Potter admits, “I have lost count of what I am spending in your tempting showroom. And although I shall, presumably, be very well off when all the duties are paid, I shall have a careful mind.” These words reveal her struggle between indulgence and prudence in decorating her beloved residence.
READ MORE: I took the ‘dream train’ from Birmingham and £40 bought me one perfect day
READ MORE: Birmingham Dad Left Injured and Abandoned by Hit-and-Run Driver in Hall Green
Yet the letters also expose a more blunt side of Potter. Speaking of Belmount Hall—an 18th-century property she later donated to the National Trust—Potter described it as “an embarrassing Georgian house” that “wants pulling down.” She added with a wry tone, “with a reputation of ghosts and horrid back premises—I simply leave the house out of account.” Today, Belmount Hall in Hawkshead has been transformed into holiday accommodation.
The letters further shed light on Potter’s ongoing health challenges. In November 1938, she wrote to Tyson, “You will wonder what has become of me. I got so tired of sciatica and kidney chill and colds.” Seeking relief, Potter recalled, “I went for ten days change to stay with a friend in near Birkenhead—a dull place, but sea air. She put me to bed!”
Covering correspondence from 1933 to just two months before Potter’s death in October 1943, these letters stand among the last she authored.
Alongside the letters, the auction at Mellors & Kirk Fine Art Auctioneers in Nottingham will feature a rare signed first edition of Potter’s The Tailor of Gloucester. Auctioneer Nigel Kirk noted, “From the letters, it’s clear Beatrix Potter not only admired Elizabeth’s antiques expertise but shared her appreciation for local, authentic furniture with character. Their warm friendship is evident—it’s easy to picture them chatting over ‘a good bit of oak.’”
The auction is scheduled for April 14, offering collectors a unique opportunity to own intimate insights into the life of one of Britain’s most treasured literary figures.