The famous author was born Helen Beatrix Potter on 28th July 1866 at her family's home at 2 Bolton Gardens in West Brompton, Kensington, London.

Beatrix Potter never attended a traditional school as a child but was instead, educated at home by a succession of governesses. Typical of a wealthy Victorian girl, Beatrix Potter received private lessons in subjects such as German, French and history.

However, much of her knowledge came from her own observations and independent research in the family's schoolroom, where Beatrix Potter and her brother kept a number of pets.

Realising that their daughter was talented, Beatrix Potter's parents arranged for her to attend formal drawing lessons and in 1878, she enrolled at the National Art Training School in South Kensington. Now known as the Royal College of Art, Beatrix Potter earned her Art Student's Certificate.

Beatrix Potter started her working life from around 1887 as a scientist studying fungi, becoming a skilled mycologist, she produced botanically accurate drawings while conducting various experiments on how fungi is produced. As part of her work, Beatrix Potter produced a paper from her research titled 'On the Germination of the Spores of the Agaricineae', presenting it to the Linnean Society, a centre for the study of natural history, evolution and taxonomy, by a third party as no women were allowed to attend their meetings.

The professional art career of Beatrix Potter began in around 1890 when she sold a series of rabbit drawings to Hildesheimer & Faulkner, a greeting card company who used the designs for the Christmas cards.

Through the 1890s, Beatrix Potter began writing 'picture letters', to the children of her former governess, Annie Moore. One letter in particular, written to five-year-old Noel Moore in 1893, contained the first version of the story that would later become 'The Tale of Peter Rabbit'.

Beatrix Potter began her story writing when she wrote an eight page illustrated letter to Noel Moore, the five year old son of her former governess, Annie Moore, in 1893.

In 1900, Annie Moore suggested that the original letters produced by Beatrix Potter could be published as a book. Borrowing the original letter given Noel Moore, Beatrix Potter used it as a foundation to create her first written story.

Publishing her first story initially proved difficult for Beatrix Potter with several publishers rejecting her work, eventually using her own money in December 1901 to print 250 copies of the story titled 'The Tale of Peter Rabbit'.

Beatrix Potter initially distributed copies to selected friends and family, selling other copies of the book for one shilling and two pence each, eventually producing another 200 copies of the story in a second print run.

Eventually, in 1902, the publisher Frederick Warne & Co. released the first official edition of 'The Tale of Peter Rabbit', which featured the now iconic colour illustrations which were famously created by Beatrix Potter.

Beatrix Potter went on to write and illustrate another 22 stories, publishing a total of 23 original 'Little Books', between 1902 and 1930 which were primarily published by Frederick Warne & Co.

Beatrix Potter became engaged to her editor, Norman Warne, in July 1905. However, the engagement was short lived when tragically, Norman Warne died from Leukaemia, just one month later in August 1905.

Devastated by his death, Beatrix Potter wore Norman Warne's engagement ring on her right hand for the rest of her life, eventually moving to the Lake District to start a new life at Hill Top Farm.

Beatrix Potter would later meet William Heelis, a solicitor from Hawkshead and even though her parents initially objected, Beatrix Potter would go on to marry William Heelis on 15th October 1913, at St. Mary Abbots Church in Kensington, London.

Beatrix Potter officially became Mrs. Helen Beatrix Heelis but would continue to use her maidan name on her published books and stories. Shortly after the wedding, the newly married couple moved to Castle Cottage in Near Sawrey in the Lake District, keeping Hill Top Farm as a private studio and workspace.

Beatrix Potter and William Heelis had no children of their own but played an active part in William Heelis's extended family, while sharing a passion for the countryside and land conservation.

Beatrix Potter's love of the countryside grew into a conservation strategy, developing a close partnership with Canon Hardwicke Rawnsley, the co-founder of the National Trust, a charity which focuses on heritage and nature conservation. Beatrix Potter met her future husband William Heelis, who acted as her legal advisor during the purchase of a large amount of land in the Lake District.

Working closely with the National Trust to identify land and properties which were being broken up and sold to property developers, Beatrix Potter purchased land and farms in an effort to 'Purchase to Protect', preventing any planned developments from occurring. This also included ongoing campaigns against local developments in the Lake District, famously opposing the introduction of hydroplanes on Lake Windermere.

One major acquisition which was made by Beatrix Potter as part of the 'Purchase to Protect', strategy, was the purchase of the 5,000-acre Monk Coniston Estate, simply to prevent it from being divided and sold. Shortly after the purchase, Beatrix Potter offered half of the 5,000-acre Monk Coniston Estate at cost to the National Trust.

As part of her conservation efforts, Beatrix Potter restored unused farms, such as the 1,900-acre Troutbeck Park, turning them into productive centres for breeding pedigree Herdwick Sheep.

Alongside her conservation efforts, Beatrix Potter founded a district nursing trust to improve healthcare for local villages in the Sawrey area. Beatrix Potter also became an authority on traditional Lakeland crafts, antique furniture, and stonework, restoring her farms which used original methods and materials.

The land and conservation efforts of Beatrix Potter eventually became the responsibility of the National Trust who were gifted over 4,000 acres of land which included 15 farms and several cottages. This includes the legal requirement in which the National Trust continue to manage the 15 farms as working farms that graze pure Herdwick sheep.