The Little Figures That Stayed | Beswick, Beatrix Potter & a Love of Collecting

There are some things we collect because we set out to become collectors. Then there are the things that simply become part of our lives.

For me, Beatrix Potter began that way.

I was born in 1974 and every year my grandparents would give me a Beatrix Potter figurine for my birthday. One little character at a time, they gathered together until I had a collection of my own. I don’t remember ever thinking of myself as a collector. I simply loved them.

They belonged to the stories I knew and the familiar little world that Beatrix Potter had created. Each birthday brought another one home and those little ceramic figures quietly became part of my childhood.

One of them has stayed with me ever since.

My Mrs Flopsy Bunny is still part of my collection today. She stands in her soft blue clothes on her little green base and whenever I look at her I am reminded of those birthday presents, my grandparents and the very first collection that was mine.

She isn’t for sale.

Some things simply aren’t.

There is something particularly special about seeing Beatrix Potter’s characters brought to life in ceramic. The books were already so familiar but Beswick gave the characters another dimension. They stepped away from the pages and became little objects that could be held, displayed and passed down.

Beswick had established a wonderful reputation for its animal figures when the company began producing the Beatrix Potter range. Arthur Gredington was instrumental in translating Potter’s delicate illustrations into three dimensional figures, capturing not just their appearance but their personalities.

And that is what makes them so enduring.

Jeremy Fisher looks like Jeremy Fisher. Lady Mouse has all the gentle elegance of her character. Fierce Bad Rabbit has that wonderfully mischievous presence that makes you recognise him immediately.

They feel alive.

Potter’s illustrations gave her animals clothes, expressions and personalities and Beswick carried those details into ceramic with an extraordinary amount of care. The result was something that sat somewhere between children’s literature, illustration and British pottery and somehow still feels completely at home today.

That is what draws me back to them.

I have started collecting Beatrix Potter figures again for Love Nicki x and although I now look at them with an appreciation for their craftsmanship and place in British ceramic history, there is still something of that child who received them from her grandparents. At the moment, there are four pieces within my British Decorative Ceramics & Pottery collection, each with its own particular charm.

Jeremy Fisher, in his unmistakable lilac coat, has such a wonderfully characterful expression. He feels as though he has wandered straight out of The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher and onto a shelf.

Lady Mouse is altogether more delicate. I love her little bonnet, her beautifully painted clothes and the quiet elegance of the figure. She is tiny, but has so much presence.

Then there is Fierce Bad Rabbit, bringing a little mischief to the collection. He is a reminder of just how many characters Potter created, each with their own personality and story.

And Poorly Peter Rabbit, who has now found a new home. Wrapped in his red blanket, he carried that same sense of childhood nostalgia that makes these figures so special to me.

I like knowing that he has gone on to become part of somebody else’s collection. Perhaps that is one of the nicest things about vintage collecting. We don’t necessarily keep everything forever. Sometimes we find something, enjoy it, appreciate its history and then pass it on to someone who will love it just as much. It becomes another chapter in its story.

And that is how I think about the things I choose for Love Nicki x. I’m not particularly interested in objects simply because they are old or valuable. I’m drawn to things with character and pieces that make you stop for a moment, notice the craftsmanship and wonder about the life they’ve already had.

Beatrix Potter figures have that in abundance.

They also work beautifully in a home today. They don’t have to live in a nursery or children’s bedroom. I love seeing them amongst old books, vintage ceramics, framed artwork, wooden furniture and the other collected pieces that make a home feel personal.

A little Beswick rabbit on a bookshelf can be surprisingly grown up.

It adds a little nostalgia without making a room feel themed. It brings personality rather than simply filling a space. And perhaps that is why these figures have continued to appeal to generation after generation.

They remind us of things we already know and love. A story read as a child. A grandparent’s house. A favourite character. A birthday present. Something that once sat on a shelf in a home we remember.

For me, Mrs Flopsy carries all of that. She is a small piece of pottery but she has travelled through my life with me. From childhood birthdays to my own home today, she has somehow remained part of the story. And perhaps that is why I still find myself looking for Beatrix Potter figures all these years later.

Not because I need another rabbit. Not because I set out to build a particular collection. But because every now and then, I find one that makes me feel that little spark of recognition.

Something familiar. Something beautifully made. Something with a story.

My collection began with birthdays. 

And one little Mrs Flopsy Bunny will always stay.

Because some things aren’t really part of the collection.

They are part of the story.

 

Explore the Love Nicki x British Decorative Ceramics & Pottery for further information on any of the items featured in this journal post.