Exploring The House Of The Tailor Of Gloucester
Dating from 1535, The Tailor Of Gloucester is now a beautiful museum and quaint shop.
Number 9, College Court, standing beside the ancient St Michael’s Gate, was the building Beatrix Potter chose for the setting of her story, The Tailor of Gloucester.
Helen Beatrix Potter was a famous English writer. She is best known for her children’s books featuring animals, such as The Tale of Peter Rabbit.
Her books, including 23 Tales, have sold more than 250 million copies.
The inspiration for ‘The Tailor of Gloucester’ came in May 1894, when Beatrix Potter was staying with her cousin, Caroline Hutton.
Whilst at the Hutton’s home, Harescombe Grange, which lies five miles south of Gloucester, Caroline told Beatrix the curious tale of a local Tailor, John Pritchard.
Closing his shop one Friday evening, with a waistcoat cut out but not sewn together, he was surprised to discover when, on the Monday morning he opened the shop again, to discover that apart from one button hole, the waistcoat had been sewn together.
A tiny note was pinned to the button hole which read, “no more twist”.
The Tailor was amazed and bewildered that the work had been finished short of completion.
From this date, John Pritchard advertised his work had been ‘made at night by fairies’.
On hearing this, Beatrix requested that they visit Gloucester the next day to visit the Tailor’s shop, number 45 Westgate Street.
Whilst visiting, Beatrix sketched some of the beautiful buildings in the cathedral city of Gloucester, including 9 College Court.
Presumably, Beatrix Potter had already formed the story in her mind, but it was not until 1901 that the tale was committed to paper as a Christmas present for the daughter of one of her tutors, Freda Moore.
MY DEAR FREDA,
Because you are fond of fairy-tales, and have been ill, I have made you a story all for yourself – a new one that nobody has read before.
And the queerest thing about it is – that I heard it in Gloucestershire, and that it is true – at least about the tailor, the waistcoat, and the “No more twist!”
Christmas, 1901
Beatrix later reworked the story and this became the edition Frederick Warne published in October, 1903.
Visitors can enjoy the Tailor’s kitchen, reconstructed from Beatrix Potter’s drawings (pages 17 & 21) from the large fireplace, the grand clock to the dresser where Simpkin sits proudly keeping watch over his captured mice, under the arrangement of tea-cups.
Upstairs you can read history of the original Tailor, John Prichard, and view a collection of his work tools.
The walls and glass cases are filled with beautiful Beatrix Potter memorabilia.
After watching the automaton where the mice work on the waistcoat, there is the shop where there is hopefully something for everyone.
This magical experience is free and everyone can enjoy it!
The attraction has got a raving five star reviews on TripAdvisor.
One recent visitors said: “If you’re anything of a Beatrix Potter fan, just walking down the narrow passage of college court feels like you’re stepping right into the book, even to this day.
”Step inside and the house has been meticulously recreated as it appears in Beatrix’s drawings.”
If you’d like to see it for yourself, the address is: 9 College Ct, Gloucester GL1 2NJ.
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