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Jane Austen

Jane Austen, whose books are admired for their wit and social observation, was born and lived most of her life in Hampshire. She loved the county and it was here that she found the inspiration to write such classics as 'Pride and Prejudice', 'Emma' and 'Sense and Sensibility'. You can visit the church where her father was clergyman, walk the fields and country lanes which inspired her and explore her museum home in Chawton.

Steventon

Jane Austen was born on 16 December 1775 in the village of Steventon. She was one of eight children and grew up in a close-knit family. The 12th century Steventon Church where her father was clergyman and where Jane worshipped, stands almost unchanged from those days.

While Jane lived at Steventon, she attended many dances at nearby large country houses, including The Vyne a spectacular 16th-century property in Sherborne St John now owned by the National Trust.

Chawton

In 1809 Jane, her sister Cassandra and their mother settled in Chawton, near Alton. Here she wrote or revised her novels. The bicentenary of this event was celebrated in the summer of 2009.
Jane Austen's affection for Chawton is shown in the following lines:

Our Chawton home - how much we find
Already in it, to our mind,
And how convinced that when complete,
It will all other places beat,
That ever have been made or mended,
With rooms concise or rooms distended.

What to see and do

Jane Austen Regency Week - events in Alton and Chawton, in June, celebrating the works of Jane Austen and the life in her day.

Jane Austen's House - visit Jane's museum home in Chawton

Steventon Church - visit the parish church in the village where Jane was born

Chawton House Library - visit the house where Jane's brother, Edward Knight lived.

Circular walk - follow in Jane's footsteps through the countryside that inspired her from Chawton to Farringdon. Download a map of the route.

Jane Austen Trail - walking route from Alton High Street to Chawton passing places of interest. Download a map of the route.