A new tourist attraction has opened at the location where famous Victorian children’s author Beatrix Potter penned some of her most famous works.

Opened to the public on 2 July to celebrate the 150-year anniversary of the birth of Potter, the attraction on the Lingholm Estate near Keswick in Cumberland now features a café, shop and Victorian walled garden. The attraction complements the unveiling of a new jetty offering scheduled boat services for the first time in half-a-century. The work has cost around £1m (US$1.3m, €1.2m)

Lingholm, where Potter spent ten summers between 1885 and 1907, is the place where she wrote such children’s classics as Squirrel Nutkin and Mrs TiggyWinkle.

In addition, the Lingholm Kitchen Garden has been credited as the original inspiration for Mr McGregor’s garden in The Tale of Peter Rabbit. The new Victorian garden built from reclaimed materials, now sits on the land where those gardens were located.

The new café can seat up to 180 people and includes a dedicated art wall featuring the works of Rob Miller. The jetty will become a regular stop for The Keswick Launch Company, which offers boating tours around the Lake District.

“This is a whole a new visitor experience for the Lake District, in a previously little-known corner of this world-renowned landscape,” said Jenny Seymour, Lingholm Estate director.

“As we’re off the traditional Beatrix Potter tourist trail, we’re hoping the setting of Lingholm Kitchen and our new walled garden will offer a unique historical insight into the writer’s life and inspiration for residents and visitors alike.”