Things to see at the Beatrix Potter Gallery

Saturday 25^th March 2023, after planned winter closure.

Areas where repair is needed were identified during recent planned maintenance work. This cannot take place whilst the Gallery is open to visitors and also means that the collection cannot be on display.

We don’t yet know the scale of the issue or the solution and are working to understand this now.

Given the likely timescales involved and impacts on the operation we have taken the decision not to plan to reopen the Gallery part way through the season.

Our priority is to care for the collection and opening part of the building whilst work is taking place would not be feasible. There are also limitations around public access whilst contractors are at work.

We will look at whether part of the exhibition can instead be displayed at Hill Top later this year. 

Artwork of this significance must be housed in a museum grade building. Unfortunately, we only have one other building with museum status in the Lake District, Wordsworth House & Garden, in Cockermouth, which already has its own exhibition in place for the year. 

The Gallery is empty over winter and the new exhibition hadn’t yet been hung so no collection items were out and no damage was caused. 

Originally the building was the office of Beatrix Potter’s solicitor husband, William Heelis. It only stopped being an office and became a gallery in the 1980s. 

The extent and timescales of the work are still unknown, and we don’t yet know when the Gallery will reopen. Regular updates will be given through National Trust communications channels. 

We don’t yet know when the building will reopen again. We will keep Hawkshead Parish Council and other partners up to date with information as we know more.