Jane Austen's House

Welcome to the serene and picturesque village of Chawton in Hampshire. You are standing before one of the most important locations in the history of literature and the development of the English novel. …

Standing here at the front of the property, you can immediately sense the relationship between the cottage and the outside world. Today, the village of Chawton is bypassed by a major highway, leaving this road relatively quiet. …

Stepping into this courtyard, we leave the public face of the house and enter the true engine room of Georgian domestic life. This open-air space was the bustling center of daily chores. …

Welcome to the Kitchen and Bakehouse, spaces defined by constant heat, strong smells, and endless preparation. In the Georgian era, food preparation was an incredibly labor intensive necessity. …

You have now entered the Drawing Room, the most formal and elegant space in the cottage. This room served multiple purposes throughout the day. …

You are now standing in the Dining Room, which, in Jane's time, also served as the main entrance vestibule of the cottage. The current front door did not exist; visitors would enter directly into this space. …

Having ascended the stairs, you have entered the largest bedroom in the house. Following the strict social hierarchy of the era, the largest, most comfortable room was automatically assigned to the most senior member of the…

You have now entered the intensely private sanctuary of Jane and Cassandra's bedroom. The space is dominated by two narrow, identical single beds. …

Welcome to the Admiral's Room. While the Austen women lived a relatively quiet, constrained life in the Hampshire countryside, their family was deeply connected to the violent, expansive reality of the British Empire. …

Stepping out into the fresh Hampshire air, you have entered the cottage garden. While the exact layout of the planting beds from eighteen oh nine was not recorded, the current space has been lovingly maintained to reflect a…

As our tour comes to a close, let us take a moment to reflect on the staggering legacy of the woman who lived in this modest Hampshire cottage. Jane Austen died at the heartbreakingly young age of forty one. …