Son of the landscape artist Alfred Heaton Cooper, William was raised with a love and appreciation of art. Following the success of his father’s career, William too aspired to become a notable painter. He was awarded a scholarship to study at the Royal Academy Schools in London, where he would later exhibit along with the Royal British Society of Artists and the Royal Institute of British Watercolourists. Heaton Cooper was an expert of the geography of the Lake District. His extraordinary knowledge of the area is reflected in his painting and in his many books capturing the most intimate landscape of the countryside. Heaton Cooper served for eleven years at the President of the Lake Artists Society.