Beatrix Potter trail opens in Gloucester city centre

A trail celebrating the anniversary of the publication of The Tailor of Gloucester has opened in the city.

A set of 10 brass plaques depicting Beatrix Potter‘s mice will be hidden along Westgate Street.

The trail opened on Friday, 120 years since the tale was published, featuring engravings by artist Ella Daniel Lowe.

The Director of the House of the Tailor of Gloucester museum, Paul James, expressed the significance of the story: “It’s an iconic tale for the city and plays a crucial role in its heritage.”

He further emphasized: “The Tailor of Gloucester story holds immense importance for Gloucester, being the city’s most renowned narrative, and thus, we strive to preserve its legacy.”

This captivating story is rooted in a real-life incident. John Samuel Prichard was commissioned to create a suit for the mayor. One Monday morning, he discovered that the suit had been mysteriously completed, except for one buttonhole. A note accompanying the suit read: “No more twist!”

The term ‘twist’ referred to the silk thread used for stitching the final button. Mr. Prichard propagated the fiction that the suit had been finished by fairies during the night, solidifying it as a local legend.

In May 1894, Beatrix Potter visited Gloucester and resided with her relatives, the Huttons, at Harescombe Lodge.

During her stay, Potter learned of the tailor of Gloucester’s tale and transformed it in her signature style.

In Potter’s version, the tailor is assigned the task of creating a suit for the mayor’s wedding, and the 10 mice assist him by finishing the coat as a token of gratitude for saving them from their predatory cat.

In conjunction with the anniversary celebrations, a ceremony was held at Gloucester Cathedral on October 11th. It was attended by the grandson of the real tailor of Gloucester, the mayor of Gloucester, and descendants of the Hutton family.

While the original tailor’s shop was located on Westgate Street, Potter chose a house in the nearby College Court as the setting for her tale, which is now the House of the Tailor of Gloucester museum.

The Beatrix Potter trail is a collaborative project between the museum and Gloucester City Council’s Cathedral Quarter heritage project.

In March 2024, the local history society will unveil its own commemorative plaque for the tailor on the 90th anniversary of Mr. Pritchard’s death.

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