Bartholomew Bellweather
Toymaker, father, brother—and an occasional passenger on the night sleeper.
Look closer at the illustration ↗At Bellweather & Sons, Bartholomew works among wood shavings, painted scenery and things too useful to throw away. Edward and Henry work with him; the rooms above the shop are part of the family’s life.
Each autumn he leaves London for a week with his sister Dorothea at the Copper Dormouse. They have been making paper theatres together since childhood, and neither needs much explanation of the other’s habits.
His wife Charlotte lives in Ramsgate, helping her sister run a lodging-house. What began as summer help became a long arrangement. Bartholomew writes to her on Sundays; her chair still stands by the stove.
People they know
Dorothea · From the illustrated world of Candlebury Dorothea
His sister
Bartholomew visits his sister at the Copper Dormouse. They have made paper theatres together since childhood.
Edward Bellweather · Current character illustration. 
Henry Bellweather · Current character illustration. Henry Bellweather
His younger son
Henry keeps the shop's accounts and travels to the Copper Dormouse to bring his father home.
Lucy Bellweather · Revised character illustration. 
Tobias Tallowick · From the illustrated world of Candlebury Tobias Tallowick
His sleeper attendant
Tobias attends to Bartholomew on his journeys between London and Brindlecombe.
Places in their stories
Bellweather & Sons
A wooden horse over the door. A family at work inside.
The Copper Dormouse
Dorothea’s inn, a little beyond the green at Little Tallowmere.
Brindlecombe
The railway brings you here. There is more than one way to leave.
A short scene from here
The clockwork mouseA theatre on the tableCustoms & details
Stories
The Sleeper Train to Brindlecombe
Leave the toyshop with Bartholomew Bellweather and take the overnight sleeper towards his sister’s inn.
With Bartholomew Bellweather, Tobias Tallowick, Dorothea
A Cosy Night at the Copper Dormouse
Rain reaches Little Tallowmere. Inside the inn, Bartholomew and Dorothea have a paper theatre to unpack.
With Bartholomew Bellweather, Dorothea
The Winter Sleeper Home from Brindlecombe
Say goodnight to Dorothea, then travel home through the winter with Bartholomew and Henry Bellweather.
With Bartholomew Bellweather, Dorothea, Tobias Tallowick, Edward Bellweather, Henry Bellweather, Lucy Bellweather