Chawton Cottage, near Alton, was Jane Austen's home for the last 8 years of her life and where she wrote three of her novels - Mansfield Park, Emma, and Persuasion. It was also where she saw four of her novels published (Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Emma and Mansfield Park), and so Chawton is seen as Jane's literary home.  

 

 

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

 

The red brick cottage was originally a home to local farmers and between 1781-1787 it was a public house, The New Inn. Rather morbidly, the pub was the site of two murders. After the second murder, Edward Austen Knight, who had inherited the Chawton estate, rented the cottage to a Bailiff Bridger Seward.

​

​

​

​

​

​

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edward later provided the use of the cottage as a gift to his mother, sisters and family friend Martha Lloyd in July 1809. Jane would usually go for a walk every day and would shop in nearby Alton. Edward lived in the main Chawton House with his family and Anna Lefroy lived nearby, so Jane could visit family often.

Jane's mother died in 1827 and in 1828 Martha Lloyd married Jane's brother Frank Austen, the cottage remaining with Cassandra until her death in 1845. Following Cassandra's death, the cottage was divided into three small apartments for labourers of the estate, before part of the building became a working men's club in the early 20th century. The rest of the house remained as apartments for estate workers.

After an appeal by the Jane Austen Society, the house was sold by descendent Edward Knight in 1947 for £3,000 (around £105,000 today1) to Thomas Edward Carpenter who restored the house to the Jane Austen House Museum we know today, opening in 1949. The museum "reflects the comfortable family home that the Austen women created while telling the story of their lives and Jane's work"2.

 

The museum is home to many of Jane's items, including:​​

•    Eight music books owned by Jane, with pieces transcribed in her own hand

•    A Clementi pianoforte used by Jane

•    Small round table Jane used to write at

•    A turquoise beaded bracelet

•   A topaz cross, given to Jane by her brother Charles Austen (Cassandra was also given one, which is also on   display at the museum)

•    A turquoise and gold ring (which you may have seen in the news in 2013 following it's sale to Kelly Clarkson at an auction)

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

 

 

 

I haven't been lucky enough to visit Chawton Cottage yet but I very much hope to in the future!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Source - http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/bills/article-1633409/Historic-inflation-calculator-value-money-changed-1900.html [accessed 4th Nov 2015]
2. Jane Austen House Museum - http://www.jane-austens-house-museum.org.uk/#!about/c1c32 [accessed 4th Nov 2015]