I recently returned from a trip to England and Amsterdam with my husband. (Yes, I actually got him on a plane for our 10-year wedding anniversary!) Coincidentally, 2025 also marks an important literary anniversary as well: 250 years since Jane Austen’s birth.
Chawton Cottage (Alton, Hampshire)
Day one of that trip was spent at Chawton Cottage, the lovely red brick home where English icon and author Jane Austen lived between 1809 and shortly before her death in 1817. During that time, Jane she wrote and revised her novels and saw some of them published: Sense and Sensibility (1811), Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814), Emma (1815—the last to be published during her life), Northanger Abbey (1817), and Persuasion (1818). The house was owned by her brother who lived at the nearby Chawton House and has served as a museum to Jane since 1949.
The house has a lovely inner courtyard and a small garden. Inside the house you’ll find what is thought to be Jane’s small writing desk, a collection of first edition Austen novels, an 1811 newspaper sheet announcing the publication of Sense and Sensibility (by an anonymous lady), some of Cassandra Austen’s art, Jane Austen movie memorabilia, and more. The house has been carefully restored with period furnishings and decor. The gift shop was also top notch.
I spent much of the tour feeling very choked up because the house is where Jane was happiest and felt most inspired. I’m not a spiritual person, really, and I hope this doesn’t sound cheesy or woo-woo… but her soul is very much in that house.
Visiting Chawton Cottage
I won’t lie—Chawton Cottage isn’t the easiest, most direct place to get to. Here’s how we did it:
Take a train from Waterloo Station to Alton in Hampshire (about 40 minutes, runs roughly every 30 minutes). There were a couple taxis waiting at the rail station but apparently this isn’t always the case. There is a bus stop directly outside the railway station that goes through Alton (it’s a pretty little town) and down to the Chawton Roundabout. This bus route (#64) runs very regularly.
(Big shoutout to the lady who heard my Canadian accent when I got on the bus and looked at me like I had two heads. Her expression gave me a chuckle. Apparently Canadians don’t often make an appearance in Alton.)
The Jane Austen House website does not recommend getting off at the Chawton Roundabout because you have to walk down a path next to a busy roundabout (or “rotary”) and then cross a highway. That was not fun. However, it seems like this is a very common route for visitors as there are directions to the Jane Austen House on the bus signage at the Chawton Roundabout stop.
Once you cross the Highway of Death, it’s a leisurely walk down Winchester Road which is something like walking into a “chocolate box” village. My husband was laughing at me since I stopped to gush over all the historic homes on the way. (Disclaimer: use this route at your own risk. The drivers don’t seem to pay much mind to the ‘Pedestrian Crossing’ sign on the highway.)
I highly recommend buying tickets in advance (especially during the 250th anniversary) as some patrons had to be turned away for tours while we were there. Some places don’t take timed tickets seriously but Chawton Cottage needs to in order to avoid overcrowding in the small and warm rooms in the old house. If you’re needing a snack or beverage, you can check out Cassandra’s Tea Room (named for Jane’s beloved sister and bestie) directly across the road.
Then, it was back across the Highway of Death, back to the bus stop (opposite side of the road this time) just up from the Chawton Roundabout, back into Alton, and back to the rail station. Alas, there aren’t too many other tourist-y type things to do in the Alton area.
The Jane Austen Centre (Bath)
I visited the Jane Austen Centre in Bath in 2022. Conveniently located in Bath’s historic city centre, it’s a wonderful tribute to the Regency period, to Jane, and to the fandom around her. Trains run from London (Paddington) to Bath frequently and there are lots of things to keep visitors busy besides the Jane Austen Centre. Jane Austen visited Bath a few times, several scenes from Austen movies have been filmed in the historic city, and Bath is home to the annual Jane Austen Festival. Several historical reenactors give tours of the property and teach visitors about Jane and her family, there are several hands-on activities, a short film about Jane, and exhibits about the books and films.
I’m a big fan of the Jane Austen Centre in Bath. I looove Bath. (My novel, The Land Girl on Lily Road, takes place, in part, there.) My Jane Austen silhouette tattoo even uses the same silhouette as their logo. However, the building has no real connection to Jane. Jane didn’t particularly enjoy Bath. Her complicated relationship with the city seems to be a popular topic of debate among her readers. I think it’s safe to say she didn’t enjoy Bath society and didn’t get much writing done there.
Jane stayed at a few different addresses in Bath over the years but the only one—as far as I know—that has a blue plaque is 4 Sydney Place which is a private residence. The Austen family had a reserved pew at the Octagon Chapel which is now home to The Botanist, the most beautiful restaurant in have ever been inside in my entire life. She visited the Assembly Rooms (unfortunately under renovations until 2027) regularly and probably visited the Pump Room. Going by the number of scenes she set within the city, it was clearly a place she knew very well.
Which Jane Austen attraction should I visit?
I would say that depends on your schedule. If you have time to do both, definitely do. Going to Bath allows you to take in other amazing sights (some related to Austen’s novels, some not) while Chawton might give you a more personal perspective of Jane as a person vs. a city she had a love/hate relationship with. I don’t recommend a day trip for Bath—it has a lot of great stuff to do (I regret not visiting the Herschel Museum of Astronomy.) and the Jane Austen Centre definitely makes that list.
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