Chawton is tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me.

Just kidding! Chawton is a super cute little town in Hampshire and of course, its greatest appeal is that it was the last home of Jane Austen. So of course during our Jane Austen pilgrimage to England, it was somewhere we had we go. It made a beautiful day trip to the countryside and back to the early 19th century.

Jane Austen at Chawton

For some quick background: Jane’s brother, Edward, got adopted out by the Knight family, who had a huge fortune and no heir. Edward Knight, as he was now named, got a huge fortune 50% more than Mr Darcy’s (!!). One of his many estates was Chawton House, and a smaller building he owned that was let out was Chawton Cottage.

In 1805, Jane’s father George Austen died and she, her sister, and her mother became dependent on family. Family took them in and they moved around where they were able. Her rich brother’s wife didn’t want him to help his family (remind you of anyone in Sense & Sensibility, perhaps?) but in 1809, he finally secured Chawton Cottage for them to live in. They could’ve lived at another cottage in Kent but decided they wanted to be in Hampshire. The two sisters, their mother, and their friend Martha Lloyd moved in.

The three Austen women lived there until their deaths in 1817, 1827, and 1845, but none of them died in the cottage.

Visiting Chawton Today: Jane Austen’s House

Obviously the main draw of Chawton town is Chawton Cottage, what is now called Jane Austen’s House. Since the house is small, tickets are timed and you first go inside the kitchen. What’s super interesting is that the friend the Austens lived with, Martha Lloyd, kept meticulous notes which you can see (and purchase!) at the house. It’s a true window into what life would’ve been like in a lower-class early 19th century household. You can buy it online or at the house.

Then you’ll go into the main house. There are people around who are able to answer any questions you may have. The team at Jane Austen’s House obviously put a lot of work into restoring the home to the way it was when the Austens lived there. You’ll even see that much of the furniture and effects are original to the Austen family. Some belonged at the house in Chawton and others came from Jane Austen’s first home, Steventon (which unfortunately has been demolished).

There are placards around to tell you the provenance of the pieces, which are similar period pieces and which actually belonged to the family, etc.

You may have noticed that the house looks a little wonky – not just because of the construction. The cottage was actually a few hundred years old when the Austens moved into it, and it served as an inn on a popular road. Since the road was still frequently used at the time, one of the windows was shut up and a bookcase was supposedly put into it for privacy. The bookcase doesn’t seem to be there anymore but that’s why it looks so weird.

After the salon or parlor, you’ll head over to the dining room – one of the most quintessential rooms of Chawton Cottage. The wallpaper is based on the original and it’s here that you can see the modest desk of Jane Austen! A lot of her works were mostly completed at Steventon, and then she cleaned them up and had them published while at Chawton. The desk looks so much smaller in real life, but it’s speculated that since Jane had poor eyesight, she liked the small desk to easily move it around where the lighting was best.

Upstairs the rooms’ purposes are a bit less clear. However they’re filled with exhibitions and artefacts that belonged to the family. It even includes needlework done by Jane Austen herself (she was an excellent seamstress), the cross pendants given to her and Cassandra by her brother, a replica of outwear known to have belonged to Jane, etc. Again, the team at the House clearly put a lot of work into assembling an authentic collection of the Austen home and presenting it to the public.

Upstairs you’ll also get to see another great room – Jane and Cassandra’s bedroom! It’s a cute little room with a nice view over the gardens. You can just imagine the sisters chatting here before bedtime – much like Jane and Elizabeth do in Pride & Prejudice.

When you leave you can enjoy the gardens, which were in full bloom when we visited in late June. These look quite different from what they did in the early 19th century, but there’s also a small garden with plants that were used for everyday tasks – such as dyes and inks. It’s another way to learn what life was like several hundred years ago.

It’s a small house but so charming, to be sure! It was a modest place at the time but in this current economy, I’d be so lucky to be able to afford a place like that – ha!

Pre-booked tickets are available online. We went in June, during Jane Austen Regency Week in Alton, and there was low ticket availability the day of.

What Else to See in Chawton?

Your stop doesn’t end at Jane Austen’s House! There’s still a bit to see in this little town.

About a 10 minute walk away is Chawton House – not to be confused with Chawton Cottage. This was the estate home that Jane’s brother, Edward Knight, inherited. It dates back to the medieval era. It’s quite nice inside and has some personal effects of the Austen family. You can also see a place where Jane herself liked to read. Apparently Mr. Knight lived there for only a few months, but it’s worth seeing.

The home is also dedicated to collecting literature by female authors, and they have quite a few events to attend.

Next to it is St. Nicholas Church. This is the church the Austen family attended, but the original building was heavily damaged in a fire, and did not look like it does today. However the altar screen, I believe, is still the one the Austens would have known.

It’s here you can find two very important graves – those of Cassandra and Cassandra Austen (both Jane Austen’s mother and sister had the same name). They’re located at the back of the church. There’s also a small statue of Jane near the tree at the front of the church.

Historical significance aside, it’s quite a peaceful little place.

Back near the cottage, almost every place was there at the time of Jane Austen. The buildings next to Chawton Cottage – called “the clinkers” and “Pond cottages” – date to the medieval era. Across the street, the building that is now Greyfriar’s was a poor home that was probably visited by Jane.

Up Winchester Road, the light brick building belonged to a rival of the Austens – they believed they had the right to Edward Knight’s fortune. Imagine living across the street from a family that wanted to destroy yours! The building next to that, Thatch Cottage, was another poor house that was probably visited by Jane.

“Cassandra’s Cup” has no known tie to the Austens directly but I have to say, our food there was quite delicious.

So much has changed in the past 200 years, but also, so much has not.

A Visit to Alton?

We caught the bus up to Alton to see some of the sites mentioned in
my post on Jane Austen’s England. Honestly, aside from seeing the outsides of some buildings Miss Austen was familiar with, it was not that interesting. It had some cute buildings here and there but nothing notable. A lot of buildings have had the first floor gutted to make room for modern chain companies.

Alton’s only a mile or two out of the way but if you don’t have the time, you’re not missing much if you skip it. (Sorry!)

Getting to Chawton via Public Transport

There’s a convenient bus (currently the 64 bus) that goes between Winchester and Alton and stops at Alton. Both Winchester and Alton have train stations so it’s quite easy to get there.

(If you have time, I do suggest a trip to Winchester. It is quite charming and also has a lot for Jane Austen fans!)

Something to know is that you’ll want to keep an eye on the map to get off at the right stop. The stop is Chawton Roundabout and it’s a few blocks from Chawton cottage. The thing is it looks like it’s in the middle of nowhere so you really want to keep conscious of where you are because it won’t be obvious.

Once you get to the roundabout stop, which feels like it’s in the middle of the woods, you’ll need to cross a few busy streets. There’s no marked pedestrian crossing and UK drivers don’t tend to stop for pedestrians so watch out!

Of course any Jane Austen fan will flock to Chawton because of its historical significance, but I have to say that the work everyone put into the sites, combined with a charming town in the beautiful countryside, really push a trip to Chawton from being important to enjoyable. We loved every minute we spent there.

A visit to Chawton is a must for any Jane Austen fan. It’s a charming house and town alone, but in the relative countryside, it’s surprisingly easy to get to. I hope you do make it to Chawton and have a lovely time!

About the Author

Leave a Reply