3. The V&A, London

Meet Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cotton–tail

It’s been 120 years since Peter Rabbit and friends first hopped onto the pages of Beatrix Potter’s beloved children’s books, brought to life by her beautiful watercolour illustrations and sing-song prose.

In celebration, the V&A museum’s latest exhibition, Beatrix Potter: Drawn from Nature, brings together 240 personal objects, including early sketchbooks, letters and artworks, alongside the chance for kids to climb inside a giant flowerpot to avoid becoming a key ingredient in Mr McGregor’s dreaded pies.

The exhibition also pitter-patters through Potter’s personal journey, from a London town mouse living within a scuttle of the V&A to a fully-fledged sheep-rearing conservation pioneer; a midlife transformation spearheaded by Potter relocating to the cloud-capped fells of the Lake District and buying her cherished Hill Top farmhouse, a National Trust gem that’s also open to the public.  

Beatrix Potter: Drawn from Nature runs until 8 January 2023, £14 adult, children aged 0 to 11, free. Open Wednesday to Sunday, 10am to 5.45pm.

Entrance to Potter’s Hill Top farmhouse £14 adult, £7 child.