Charles McIntosh and Beatrix Potter

Charles McIntosh and Beatrix Potter and their common bond in the Natural History of the Dunkeld and Birnam Area. Most people will have heard of Beatrix Potter, the writer of children’s stories. Far fewer will recognise the name of Charles McIntosh the rural postman from Inver, near Dunkeld. These two very different individuals, brought together by a common interest in fungi, met and subsequently exchanged letters and specimens over a number of years. This is the story of their fascinating acquaintance.

The setting is the area around Dunkeld, Birnam and Inver, some twelve miles north of Perth at the gateway to the Highlands.

Helen Beatrix Potter

For eleven consecutive summers, the Potter family came to Dalguise House near Dunkeld. Their only daughter, Beatrix was four when the family first travelled by train to Scotland in 1870. In 1884 when Beatrix was about 18 she wrote in her diary:

“Even when the thunder growled in the distance, and the wind swept up the valley in fitful gusts, oh it was always beautiful, home sweet home, I knew nothing of trouble then.”

These long holidays first awakened the interest of the young girl to the delights of wildlife and nature.

Charles McIntosh

Charles was born in Inver in 1839 in the cottage where he was to spend his entire life. His father, also Charles, was a hand-loom weaver, famous fiddle player and music teacher. His mother Mary was a descendent of the MacDonalds of Glencoe.

This book is a novelisation of the movie Miss Potter, written by the film's scriptwriter Richard Maltby. It is set during the time when bestselling author and illustrator Beatrix Potter wrote and published her most famous tale, about the enduring and beloved character Peter Rabbit. An 8-page full-colour insert shows scenes from the film starring Renee Zellweger and Ewan McGregor. Miss Potter: The Novel (Miss Potter).

This is a full-colour illustrated guide to the background and making of the forthcoming film on Beatrix Potter's life starring Renee Zellweger as Beatrix and Ewan McGregor as the man she loved. The author, journalist Gareth Pearce, and the photographer, Alex Bailey, were on the set throughout the filming and give a fascinating insight into the creation of a movie. The Making of Miss Potter.

Across the Dunkeld bridge in Birnam, The Beatrix Potter Centre and Garden awaits you. Beatrix Potter drew inspiration from her childhood holidays spent along the banks of the River Tay and is reputed to have written The Tale of Peter Rabbit on one of her trips here. Read more about her time in Dunkeld and Birnam.

Beatrix Potter, the twentieth century's most beloved children's writer and illustrator, created books that will forever conjure nature for millions. Yet though she is a household name around the world, her personal life and her other significant achievements remain largely unknown. This remarkable new biography is a voyage of discovery into the story of an extraordinary woman. At a time when plunder was more popular than preservation, she brought nature back into the English imagination. Beatrix Potter: A Life In Nature reveals a strong, humorous and independent woman, whose art was timeless, and whose generosity left an indelible imprint on the countryside. Beatrix Potter: A Life in Nature.

This lavish, illustrated journal describes Beatrix Potter's life as a young woman in Victorian Britain as she struggles to achieve independence and to find artistic success and romantic love. Using witty, observant commentary taken from Beatrix' s own diaries, the journal moves from London to Scotland to the Lake District, and features a wealth of watercolour paintings, sketches, photographs, letters, paper-engineered items and period memorabilia to recreate a world where nature and imagination are brilliantly combined. Beatrix Potter: A Journal.