Near Sawrey
OS Grid ref :- SD 369957
The conservation village of Near Sawrey, two miles south of Hawkshead, is set amidst rolling hills and flanked by Windermere and Esthwaite Water. The village is famed for its associations with the children's writer, Beatrix Potter, who once owned Castle Cottage and the Old Post Office and who purchased Hill Top Farm, within the village, in 1905, from the proceeds of her Peter Rabbit books.
Near Sawrey
Many of Beatrix Potter's books are set within Near Sawrey. The village pub, the Tower Bank Arms is clearly recognisable in the 'Tale of Jemima Puddleduck'. The building is now owned by the National Trust. Nearby Far Sawrey stands at the end of a lane which culinates at the at the Windermere ferry boarding point.
An ancient settlement, in 1334 near Sawrey is recorded as 'Sower', its name had become 'Sawreys' meaning 'muddy place' by 1555. It is first recorded using its present name in 1656.
Hill Top Farm
Beatrix Potter's seventeenth century home, Hill Top Farm, contains mementoes of the her life, a personal collection of paintings, china and furniture, as well as some of her drawings. The farm was bequeathed by her to the National Trust in her will on the condition that it should remain undeveloped and unspoilt for future generations.
Nearby lies Moss Eccles Tarn, appointed a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Beatrix Potter often fished at the tarn. The water lillies which adorn its surface in the summer are said to have been the inspiration for the great children's favourite, the story of Jeremy Fisher. Beatrix Potter purchased a section of the tarn in 1926, which was bequeathed to the National Trust on her death.