A Visit to Jane Austen Country

We're back in England and happy to be once again touring around this beautiful country. Our first post upon our return documents a visit last week into Jane Austen country.

One of England’s literary giants is a perky little lady named Jane Austen. For anyone fond of her work, a trip covering her haunts is a special treat. This year marks the bicentenary year of her arrival in Chawton Village. It is here that she wrote her most famous novels.

Her house is available to tour. It is a modest home with a lovely garden. The house has many of Jane’s possessions including her writing desk. It is here that you get a sense of her lifestyle, her family history and her personal relationships. Her brother, Edward, was the adopted heir to the Knight family estates, he took control of it in 1797. The estate included a cottage in the village. In 1809, his sister Jane moved into Chawton Cottage with her mother and sister, and it is available for viewing today as it was then.

A short walk down the street will take you to Chawton House, Edward’s home, now known as the Chawton House Library. This is a beautiful estate that the Knight family had owned since the 16th century. It had fallen into disrepair for about 50 years, when it was rescued by one of Cisco Systems founders, Sandy Lerner. Fortunately for us, it has now been lovingly restored and is available for touring by appointment. Sandy has housed her extensive library of English women writers here, and it too is available for use by appointment. The library has a full event calendar including talks, tours and even Regency costumed balls. For an updated listing view www.chawton.org.

As you leave Chawton House you can also tour the local church on the property and view Jane Austen’s family graves. The Chawton Gardens and beautiful Clydesdale horses are not to be missed as well. Continuing back to the village, do stop at The Greyfriar, a quaint 400 year old pub directly across from the Jane Austen house, for a tasty lunch or dinner. Cassandra’s Tea room is also open the later part of the week for an afternoon respite.

To complete your tour you may also want to go to the nearby city of Winchester where she spent her last days and is buried at Winchester Cathedral.

Should you want to further view more on Jane’s life, there is one other place to visit and enjoy, and that is in the beautiful city of Bath. Jane stayed here in the early 19th century for a few years and her stay is well documented on the Jane Austen Centre website at www.janeausten.co.uk.