Trees, Fairies and Ecological Perspectives in the Work of Beatrix Potter

 

I was delighted that Dr Penny Bradshaw was giving a talk about Beatrix Potter and Trees at Higham Hall, on Bassenthwaite, today. We booked tickets and headed up there, stopping off for a delicious lunch at Thornthwaite Gallery, and a look at the paintings, of course!

It's always a treat to attend an event at Higham Hall. It is such a lovely venue, and one which holds many happy memories for me, going all the way back to A Level French weekends, when I was at school! Their coffee and cake is always excellent, they have a charming selection of paintings by local artists (and we bought one, of course!) and their talks and events are always really good.

Today's talk focussed on the way in which Beatrix Potter uses trees in her books, in ways which develop an understanding of natural ecosystems, animal habitats, and seasonal change. Linda Lear, one of Beatrix Potter's biographers wrote about Potter's "lifelong fascination with trees". 

The talk also explored the way in which Potter’s work draws on and responds to older cultural associations, which connect trees and woodland spaces to fairies and fairy magic. 

Penny's talk explored trees in Beatrix Potter's books, including the tree home of the rabbits in The Tale Of Peter Rabbit, the trees in The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin and The Tale of Timmy Tiptoes. Trees represent places of comfort and safety for Potter's characters. They are also a source of nuts for the squirrels, as well as a place of refuge from danger.

The talk also focussed on trees and the natural world in The Fairy Caravan. 

The Fairy Caravan is one of Potter’s more unusal and less well known books. Beatrix Potter wrote this chapter book for older children towards the end of her writing career. She wrote it for her own pleasure and at the request of friends in America who shared her love of the Lake District and north country tales. 

I love the book, especially the character of Tuppenny, the guinea pig, his fellow guinea pigs from Marmalade in the Land of Green Ginger, Paddy Pig and Xarifa. Penny speculated that The Fairy Caravan is Potter's best example of sustained ecological writing. The setting for the book is the woodlands of Graythwaite Estate, near Hawkshead.

In 2017 when the Lake District National Park was recognised by UNESCO World Heritage Status as a "Cultural Landscape" and the nomination document presented the region as the "cradle of deep ecology" , rather shockingly Beatrix Potter was granted less than a page in the document.  The role of writers, and especially William Wordsworth, in developing the seeds of environmental thinking is made clear, but Beatrix Potter's role focuses almost exclusively on her contribution to conservation by way of her bequest of land and property to the National Trust. Sadly, and somewhat shockingly,  Potter’s ecological credentials in relation to her children’s books are not emphasised. 

This was a really interesting talk, and one I enjoyed very much. Beatrix Potter has always been a very important writer for me. Our childhood holidays in Hawkshead introduced me to Hill Top and her wonderful "little books" at a very early age. Her Tales were amongst the very first books I read and her characters have stayed with me all my life. Her love of nature and her deep compassion for animals and the natural world have truly inspired me.