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Chawton is also a stone’s throw from the historic city of Winchester, in which you can visit several other significant Austen sites, including Jane Austen’s grave. Over the last 70 years many parts of the House have been restored and the interior has been restyled to take it back to the time when the Austens lived here. Today, we continue to undertake repairs and maintenance that will help to preserve the House for generations to come. Mrs Austen and Cassandra continued to live at the House for the rest of their lives. After Cassandra’s death in 1845, the house returned to the Chawton Estate; it was divided into three dwellings for estate workers and was also used as an estate office and a working men’s club.
Parking & Transport
We still need your help to further restore these treasured buildings and bring their lost histories back to life. If travelling via public transport, the nearest train station (with a direct line to London Waterloo) is Alton. Alton train station is only 2 miles away from the House and within a half-hour walking distance.
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Mentioned numerous times in Jane Austen’s letters as ‘the great house’, Chawton House belonged to Jane Austen’s brother, who inherited the home from Thomas and Catherine Knight, but was also enjoyed by Jane Austen as much as her own home. Located near the town of Basingstoke, Manydown Park was the house where a teenage Austen first danced with Tom Lefroy, an impetuous suitor who later became Lord Chief Justice of Ireland. “Imagine to yourself everything most profligate and shocking in the way of dancing and sitting down together,” Austen wrote to her sister Cassandra in 1796. Sadly, Lefroy was shipped home to the Emerald Isle to curb the budding romance. Six years later, Austen was again embroiled in a romantic intrigue at Manydown after receiving a proposal from the wealthy, younger Harris Bigg-Wither, whose family owned the house. Although she initially accepted, Austen scandalously reneged just hours later, then fled the scene.
Your Visit
Manydown Park was destroyed in the 1960s, but Manydown Farm Shop, located on the estate, offers an authentic slice of the Hampshire countryside—complete with homemade meat pies, local Loosehanger cheese and lamb raised on Manydown’s 200-acre farm. At the time of opening, the House was still occupied by tenants and only the front room was publicly accessible. The Jane Austen Society was instrumental in funding repairs and in building the Museum’s collection. Jane Austen’s House holds an unparalleled collection of objects relating to Jane Austen’s life and works, her family circle and her legacy.
Hatton Garden
The Jane Austen House is situated in the village of Chawton, about 50 miles southwest of London and has long been a mecca for the novelist's most passionate fans, often referred to as Janeites. The Museum's collection includes eight music books owned by Jane Austen, with pieces transcribed in her own hand. Jane lived at what is now Jane Austen’s House for the last eight years of her life. She moved here in 1809 with her mother, sister Cassandra and friend Martha Lloyd after a period spent living in lodgings. The house was owned by Jane’s brother Edward, who had been named heir to the wealthy Knight family and had since inherited the Chawton Estate. The house – a 17th century building – was offered to the women rent-free for life.
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Check out our dedicated page for families to discover everything you need to know about visiting as a family. Tour guides are not permitted to conduct guided tours at Jane Austen’s House. If a party have requested a guided tour, please contact us and we will be happy to arrange a tour with our expert in-house guides. 🐕 Well-behaved dogs are welcome in the garden, and must be kept on a lead at all times. The Courtyard Buildings have always been a vital part of Jane Austen’s House. They are the engine room of the home, housing the Bakehouse, with its amazing brick bread oven and copper for heating water, deep cellars for storing food over the winter, offices, store rooms, and even the privy!
Jane Austen's House museum announces new exhibition - Hampshire Chronicle
Jane Austen's House museum announces new exhibition.
Posted: Sun, 28 Apr 2024 04:00:00 GMT [source]
Jane Austen: volunteers wanted to transcribe brother's biography - BBC.com
Jane Austen: volunteers wanted to transcribe brother's biography.
Posted: Wed, 24 Apr 2024 10:31:52 GMT [source]
If a party have requested a guided tour, please contact us and we will be happy to arrange a tour with our expert in-house guides. Whether you are inspired by women’s literature, keen to follow in the footsteps of Jane Austen in Hampshire, looking to explore the gardens, or simply to enjoy lunch in The Old Kitchen Tearoom, our friendly staff and volunteers will give you a warm welcome. Immersive audio and subtle historic scents throughout the House evoke the atmosphere of a bygone era. The gentle sound of piano music drifts from the Drawing Room, the buzz of quiet conversation, excerpts from Jane’s novels and letters, drifts down from the bedroom. The chiming of the grandfather clock and the creak of footsteps on the historic floorboards all add to the charm and atmosphere of this special place.
It was built by the Knight family in the 1580s following the acquisition of the estate by Nicholas Knight in 1578. There was already a manor house on the estate prior to this, first recorded in 1224. Due to the small size of our rooms, we limit capacity to 12 visitors entering the House every 20 minutes. To guarantee entry we strongly recommend pre-booking your visit to Jane Austen’s House.
Free parking is provided in the public car park opposite the Museum beyond the pub car park. In 1809, Edward offered his mother and sisters this small house on his Chawton estate. "We use the language of religion when talking about writers’ houses," Dunford observes. In the kitchen, for example, you'll hear actress Gina Beck as Mrs. Bates, a character in Emma, praising a certain batch of baked apples, as well as a recipe from the Austens' close family friend Martha Lloyd.
The village of Chawton are just off the A31 at the A31/A32 roundabout near Alton. Free parking is provided in the public car park opposite the museum beyond the pub car park. Jane Austen’s House is a small independent museum in the village of Chawton near Alton in Hampshire. It is a writer’s house where the famous novelist Jane Austen spent the last eight years of her life.
“It’s not just a love story,” says Louise West, curator of Jane Austen’s House Museum in Chawton, England. Soldiers returning from WWI were given the novel for its soothing abilities, West says, to help calm shell-shocked nerves. And it was a frequent crutch for Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who cracked the book in times of stress. Today, Jane Austen’s House is a Grade I listed building, an accredited Museum, and one of the most important literary sites in the world.
As a result, the family was thrust into financial straits; the three women moved from place to place, skipping between the homes of various family members to rented flats. It was not until 1809 that they were able to settle into a stable living situation at Austen's brother Edward's cottage in Chawton. Austen spent much of her early adulthood helping run the family home, playing piano, attending church, and socializing with neighbors. Her nights and weekends often involved cotillions, and as a result, she became an accomplished dancer. On other evenings, she would choose a novel from the shelf and read it aloud to her family, occasionally one she had written herself.
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