Naturalist, creative pioneer, storyteller, determined entrepreneur – Potter has been described as ‘a manysided genius’. Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature allows readers a tantalising glimpse into the life of this extraordinary woman. Annemarie Bilclough explores the secrets to Potter’s success and celebrates her wider life and legacy that stretch far beyond the pages of her storybooks.

Venue: Cressing Temple Barns, Witham Road, Braintree, Cressing, Essex, CM77 8PD

Tickets: £8 / £7 concessions (Students, Under 27s and Jobseekers)

Date and time: Saturday 25th June, 11.00 – 11.45am

Box Office: Book online or via Mercury Theatre 01206 573948 (10am – 8pm Tuesday to Saturday)

Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature by Annemarie Bilclough

Generations of children have been captivated by the exploits of Jemima Puddleduck, Squirrel Nutkin, Peter Rabbit and the host of other characters conjured up by Beatrix Potter. Packed with original artwork, Beatrix Potter:Drawn to Nature, looks at secrets to her success and celebrates her wider life and legacy – her passions, inspirations and accomplishments – that stretch far beyond the pages of her storybooks.

From her childhood in South Kensington, London, to her later years in the Lake District, Annemarie Bilclough and Emma Laws show how Potter’s exceptional affinity with nature ensured the success of her stories – underneath the costumes there were real, believable, animals.

Contributions from Richard Fortey and James Rebanks reveal her work in the field of mycology and transformation into a farmer, whilst Liz Hunter MacFarlane discusses her profound impact on the preservation of the Lake District landscape.

Naturalist, creative pioneer, storyteller, determined entrepreneur – Potter has been described as ‘a manysided genius’ and Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature allows readers a tantalising glimpse into the life of this extraordinary woman.

Buy a copy of Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature from bookshop.org

Annemarie Bilclough

Annemarie Bilclough is the Frederick Warne Curator of Illustration at the V&A. She has worked at the V&A for more than 20 years on a variety of projects from exhibitions on Art Deco and Arts and Crafts to small displays on art inspired by maps and botanical illustration.

She contributed work on medieval prints for Medieval and Renaissance galleries and on Rembrandt for the Europe 1600-1800 galleries and was co-curator of the 2017 exhibition Winnie-the-Pooh: Exploring a Classic.

Most recently she co-curated the display ‘Making an Impression: the art of relief printmaking’ 2019-20 and the ‘Creating Alice’ section of the 2021 exhibition Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser, and curated the newly opened Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature exhibition in partnership with the National Trust.