Beatrix Betrayed?

   I grew up on Peter Rabbit and his fantastic adventures with the mean Mr. McGregor. I love the illustrations: the cute little bunnies and the lush vegetable gardens.

   Beatrix Potter drew from her love for and real experience with the the verdant English countryside to create the beloved world of Peter Rabbit. Indeed, the countryside meant so much to her that, with the funds from her books, she established Hill Top Farm, her home, as the start of a national trust to preserve the hill farming way of life from the threat of land development.

   Today the National Trust is the largest private landowner in the United Kingdom with more than 610,000 acres to its name and goals for its land that include preservation and rewilding.
    However, in light of the National Trust's recent purchase of Thorneythwaite Farm many people have begun to question whether the National Trust has strayed too far from Beatrix Potter's original vision for the trust. In recent months, the organizations ethics and motives have come under extreme public scrutiny.
     You see, at Thorneythwaite, the National Trust purchased 303 acres of land for £950,000. Except they didn't purchase the adjoining farmhouse and outbuildings. Many people feel this move will spell the end of active farming in the area, and, though the land will be preserved and allowed to return to its former wild state, will lead to the destruction of the way of life Potter actually sought to preserve.