Beatrix Potter had an isolated childhood

The World of Beatrix Potter in Bowness-on-Windermere, Cumbria, is being completely renovated to make way for a host of new exhibits.

Some �2m is being invested in the Lake District tourist attraction, which opened in 1991.

New features will include a Peter Rabbit garden and 3D scenes featuring all 23 Beatrix Potter stories.

The complex will close for two months from January.

A second phase of redevelopment is scheduled for later in 2005.

General manager Richard Foster, said: "We are digging deep into the coffers, but we have to keep ahead of the game."

Potter, who was born in London in 1866, moved to Cumbria after getting married, where she created her famous characters.

She died in 1943, aged 77.