Young Beatrix Potter spent many of her childhood summers exploring the fields and paths of Perthshire, travelling as they did with the family pets – two young rabbits named Peter and Benjamin.
It was her own childhood adventures that helped fuel her inspiration for her famous adventurous young Peter Rabbit, with his own penchant for mischief and adventure.
Along with his loyal cousin, Benjamin Bunny, and Peter’s sisters – the very well-behaved bunnies, Flopsy, Mopsy and Cotton-tail – many aspects of her later stories found their spark in the young girl’s imagination during her summer strolls in the lanes of Perthshire.
For years, children have delighted to the tales of the cheeky Peter Rabbit, brave Benjamin Bunny, good Flopsy, Mopsy and Cotton-tail, accident-prone Mr. Jeremy Fisher, and hard-working Mrs. Tiggy-winkle.
At Birnam Arts, we are all set up to help fans of all ages explore the world of young Beatrix Potter, including our desks in a Victorian school room where you can see some of her drawings as she investigated the natural world, and explored ideas through her illustrations.
Children will love the traditional games and vintage toys, including building blocks and wooden trains. There’s also a range of interactive games and colouring in sheets for little ones, which change throughout the year.
Keep an eye out for our fun seasonal family activities throughout the year!
‘Delve into the world of Beatrix Potter’s Perthshire adventures and learn how she took inspiration from the beautiful area surrounding Birnam Arts.’
If you are in the area for a short visit, you can book your day tickets in advance through our website or if you would like to visit more often, our Annual Pass offers great value, allowing you to visit as many times as you like!
Priced at £40 for 12 months from date of purchase, the annual pass admits 2 adults and up to 4 children (3-15 years) any time you’d like to visit our Beatrix Potter Exhibition.
Annual Passes are available to purchase from our Gift Shop counter.
You can buy your Beatrix Potter day tickets online in advance of your visit or on the day of your visit from our Gift Shop.
Day Tickets | £2.50/child (3-15) |
£3.50/adult (16 and older) | |
£12/family (admits 2 adults and up to 4 children) | |
Children under 3 & accompanying carers are free |
Our Shop has a unique selection of gifts sourced both locally and from throughout Scotland. With a range of design, jewellery and craft items there’s a little something for everyone. We also stock the largest range of Beatrix Potter merchandise in the country.
Info >Located in the heart of Birnam Arts, our café is the meeting place and gathering space for everyone, from local friendly faces to new visitors from far and wide.
Info >Birnam Arts delivers a programme of monthly exhibitions showing work by artists at varying stages of their careers within both solo and group exhibitions.
Info >A fantastic opportunity to support Birnam Arts and dedicate a space to loved ones or shine a light on your business.
Read On >Following the success of our 2021-24 Artist-in-Residence (AiR) opportunities, and with thanks to further funding from Creative Scotland, we are delighted to offer our second Studio-Access Artist Residency for 2024.
Read On >This is a selling exhibition and all media will be accepted, in the past this has included but is not limited to painting, drawing, printmaking, textiles, ceramics and jewellery.
Read On >Can you do the laundry the way Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle does so carefully with her chores?
Have fun roleplaying in your very own fruit & veg shop!
Budding Florist's can also enjoy selling flowers from the Flower Cart.
Learn what it was like to go to School in the Victroian era and do your classswork on a chalk slate or sit at the teacher's desk! There are no calculators here so you'll need to do your counting on an abacus.
Discover Beatrix Potters' stories in our range of library books, enjoy playing with traditional toys or dress up as your favourite character & get a selfie with Peter Rabbit himself!
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The beautifully carved stone column which use to stand on the lawn at Dalguise House, summer home for Beatrix Potter during her childhood, is elaborately carved, dating from the 18th century. The Corinthian details, spiral fluting and unicorn carving became the subject of drawings by Beatrix during her summer holidays.
Following its sad demise over time, the badly deteriorated column was dismantled in the 1980s. During the conservation efforts, each stone received attention, with the removal of previous repair efforts and consolidation of vulnerable sections, using threaded stainless-steel rods and lime fills, where needed.
The pillar now lives inside Birnam Arts, where it is protected, and supported by a stainless-steel stand, designed by Henry Boyd of Edinburgh.
Importantly, the illustrations young Beatrix completed in her holiday garden were invaluable for identifying the pieces during the different restoration projects.
We remain very grateful to the Beatrix Potter Society and PGL Adventures Limited for their support for the project.
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Beautiful space, lovely people, Beatrix Potter Gardens and a wonderful exhibition "Earthly Walks" by Grigorios Karastamatis until the 18th of July (2021)!
Stella Valvi | Google Reviews
Such lovely memories of coming to Birnam as a wee one, visiting the garden and the exhibition then exploring the woods that inspired Beatrix Potter.
Graham Webster | Crowdfunder #savebirnamarts 2020
There are two dedicated accessible car park spaces directly in front of the venue. There is a gentle slope from street level up to the accessible entrance.
Using the touch pad, enter via the large glass doors to the right of the main entrance.
There are two Accessible Toilets within the venue, one on each level.
There are ramps situated throughout the building to enable easy access from the Café to the Box Office and Shop, as well as on the first floor to go from the Gallery to the Meeting Room.
There is a lift between the ground level and first floor.
View our floorplan for more
detailed information.