Dame Julia Peyton-Jones has stepped out with her baby daughter, after becoming one of the UK's oldest mothers.

The art director, who celebrated her 65th birthday over the weekend, revealed last month she had become a mother for the first time to baby Pia.

A leading figure in the arts world and the former head of the Serpentine Galleries in London, Ms Peyton-Jones carried her baby daughter as she walked her dog in London.

Dame Julia Peyton-Jones stepped out with her baby daughter in London, after becoming the UK's oldest mother

The 65-year-old art director revealed last month she had become a mother for the first time to baby Pia

Ms Peyton-Jones is thought to be single and it is not known if the infant was born following IVF treatment or surrogacy using frozen eggs.

In an interview five years ago Ms Peyton-Jones told of the joys of family life and described the collapse of her first marriage, to Prosper Riley-Smith, as one of her biggest disappointments in life.

She described her greatest achievement as 'being part of a wonderful family'.

Dame Julia was director of the Serpentine for more than 25 years and was rewarded with a damehood in the birthday honours list.

Dubbed the 'Queen of Arts', she is credited with turning around the fortunes of the galleries, showcasing emerging talents – including a young Damien Hirst – and raising thousands for new buildings and renovations.

Dame Julia announced her departure as co-director from the Serpentine in 2015, and stood down last summer.

Ms Peyton-Jones is a leading figure in the arts world and the former head of the Serpentine Galleries in London

It was a double celebration for the arts director as she celebrated her 65th birthday over the weekend

The 65-year-old was dressed casually in jeans and trainers, wearing a black overcoat

There were rumours she was to replace Sir Nicholas Serota as director of the Tate. Instead, she quietly became a mother after telling friends she had been considering it for some time.

The revelation about her motherhood is likely to raise eyebrows in the art world, given her age. But she was unlikely to have had the time before now, with her working day consisting of early mornings, back-to-back meetings and social events in the evenings.

Announcing her departure from the Serpentine, she said she wanted to spend more time painting. 'I will be starting all over again,' she said at the time. 'I am 64. My goal is to live to 100 and remain in really good shape. And I feel I need to make that investment in what the future will hold.'

Elizabeth Adeney, of Suffolk, was Britain's oldest mum at 66 when she gave birth to a son in 2009 following IVF treatment in Ukraine.

The oldest first-time British IVF mother is believed to be Sue Tollefsen, from Harold Wood, Essex, who in 2008 gave birth at 57 to daughter Freya after treatment in Moscow.

She multi tasked as she stepped out in London, walking her adorable dog and carrying her newborn in the other hand

The newborn was wrapped up against the cold in a pink babygrow, before her mother took her indoors

Dame Julia trained at the Royal College of Art. She was briefly a lecturer at Edinburgh College of Art before joining London's Hayward Gallery as a curator.

She became director of the Serpentine in 1991 and was credited with securing Diana, Princess of Wales as patron.

She also managed to secure powerful backers including former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg and raised £14million to turn a nearby 19th-century munitions store into a show space. Under her stewardship, visitors numbers rose five-fold and it is now one of the most popular galleries in London.

Dame Julia, who lives in central London, was married to Prosper Riley-Smith, a founder of research company Davis Riley Smith McClay, but they divorced in 1985.

She has one sister and four half-sisters.

One, Elizabeth, 50, is a herbalist and healthy eating expert whose clients include actress Thandie Newton.