PAWS September – Beatrix Potter

At the meeting on September 27th, Jackie introduced the speaker for the evening, Andrew Wiltshire from Danbury. Andrew has written a book entitled “Beatrix Potter’s Secret Code Breaker.”

He started his talk with a series of questions “How much they knew…:

… about Beatrix?
… her homes?
… had they seen the film Miss Potter?
…. about a secret journal she had written? Only one member knew this, to the rest it was a mystery.

He then explained that Beatrix eventually lived at Castle Cottage in the Lake District, after her marriage to William Heelis. However, she originally used the neighbouring Hill Top farm as her ‘writing room’ in which to write and illustrate her much loved children’s books. These two properties, with others and over 4,000 acres of Lake District countryside, were left to the National Trust in 1943.

Before moving there, Beatrix had written, for 15 years in a secret cipher-code of her own invention, a Journal describing observations on her family life in London, the politicians and artists that her parents knew, and many other fascinating details of her life in late Victorian times.

These documents were eventually found in Castle Cottage after Beatrix’s death. Andrew continued by telling us that he knew Leslie Linder, the code breaker. He first spent five years looking for a way into the code. He then spent a further eight to translate and bring to life the 200,000 words that Beatrix had written. These were in many exercise books, and on very many loose pages.

Linder’s Quest

This quest became Leslie’s ambition so too, sharing what he found; he did this by publishing Beatrix’s journal 1966. During the 13 years of this work he amassed what has become the world’s largest collection of Beatrix’s art and writing. He eventually donated the collection to the Victoria & Albert Museum before his death in 1973.

Illustrations of the code and some humorous examples of what Beatrix had written were complemented by photographs of Leslie’s life and family background. Andrew presented a fascinating insight to someone whose past is now forgotten and a period of time, Beatrix’s early life, that is also, hardly remembered.

Several questions from members, as well as some of them also recollecting Buckhurst Hill, the town where Leslie lived, closed a very interesting talk.

Next Meeting

PAWS’ next meeting is on 25th October and Philip Lyons will talk about “A Sailors Life”. Visitors can attend regular meetings at a cost of £5.00. You can find details of all meetings and speakers on the calendar on the home page of this website. If you would like further information about P.A.W.S please ring either of the following committee members: Alice Holmes 01206 735510 or Jane Anderson 01206 735505

2nd August 20162nd December 2016

PAWS July – Bows ‘n’ Belles

Bows 'n' Belles with Musicians — Bows ‘n’ Belles with Musicians

Bows 'n' Belles Dancing — One of the dances

PAWS July – Bows ‘n’ Belles

Our meeting on 26th July, was our annual July Social, and was well attended with 44 members and 2 visitors. We first attended to business and then had a wonderful Fish and Chip Supper. After supper we were entertained by Bows “n” Belles, a Colchester Clog Dancing Group. Continue reading “PAWS July – Bows ‘n’ Belles”

6th March 20148th December 2015

PAWS February – Lakes & Beatrix

Dudley Chignall and Pam Foakes enjoying some refreshments

Forty-seven members and five visitors enjoyed the speaker at our meeting in February. Dudley Chignall, through his extensive library of photographic slides of the Lake District, showed us all his favourite walks as he is an intrepid fell walker, the Lakes being his favourite area. He showed us where Beatrix Potter had sketched different views and houses that were later used as illustrations in her famous books.

He was also very learned about Beatrix herself, telling us that it took 10 years to get her first book published, the first one she actually paid for herself. She had spent a lot of her holidays in the Lake District having visited it first when she was 16. In 1905 she bought Hill Top Farm and had it renovated. She married the local solicitor, William Heels in 1913 when she was 47. During her lifetime she bought 15 farms and over 4,000 acres of land which she left to the National Trust. In accordance with her wishes, Hill Top Farm has been kept exactly as it was and receives thousands of visitors a year. It was another fascinating talk with fantastic photography.

PAWS next get together is on 25^th March and is actually the A.G.M., therefore it is a closed meeting. Currently membership is full but visitors are very welcome at any other meeting at the cost of £3.50 which includes refreshments.

Details of all our meetings and speakers can be found on the diary of the home page of the Winstred 100 website. If you would like further information about P.A.W.S please ring one of the following committee members: Alice Holmes 01206 735510, Jane Banks 01206 735004 or Jane Anderson 01206 735505.