Jane Austen was born on December 16, 1775, in Steventon, United Kingdom. Jane was the seventh of eight children and lived in a modest home. Her father, George Austen, was a preacher at the local parish church. Her father and mother, Cassandra, created an environment where reading was a daily activity, and the children disappeared into their books. Jane and the rest of the family were encouraged to read poems, novels, plays, and sermons. A love of reading at a young age inspired Jane’s vivid imagination, which she would perfect later on in life.
The Austens were not a wealthy family, but lived a comfortable lifestyle. Most of the education was done at home. Jane and her sister Cassandra went to boarding school briefly, but returned home for their learning.
Between 1795 and 1799, Jane wrote parts of three books while living in Steventon: Elinor and Marianne, which became Sense and Sensibility; First Impressions, which turned into Pride and Prejudice; and Susan, which was revised to Northanger Abbey. The three books were not published until years later, but were put on paper at her childhood home.
Jane moved to Bath in 1801 and lived there until 1806. She worked on two books while living in Bath, Persuasion and Northanger Abbey. Jane was unhappy during her time in Bath, but her observation of daily life was put to use in her later books.
For most people who want to travel to Jane Austen’s England, their journey begins in Chawton at the Jane Austen House. Jane’s brother, Edward, inherited an estate from the Knight family. Edward was adopted by his distant cousins when he was 16 and was provided an excellent education and given all the rights a gentleman of his time could receive. Edward built a cottage at the end of his property for Jane, and she moved into the cottage in 1809. Along with Jane, her widowed mother also lived there, as well as her sister Cassandra and longtime friend Martha Lloyd.
Click here to read my story about visiting the Jane Austen House.
Jane’s cottage was her home from 1809 until 1817. It was at the cottage that her writing took off. Sense and Sensibality, Northanger Abbey, and Pride and Prejudice were revised and published. She wrote and published Mansfield Park, Emma, and Persuasion while living in the home. Visitors can see the small desk where her genius went from an idea to becoming a story.
Her cottage in Chawton is set up as though Jane will walk through the doors at any time. Her writings are found inside glass casings, along with heirlooms from her life. I enjoyed standing by her table and imagining what it was like for her to write while looking out the window at the rolling English countryside.
I lost almost all of my photos from visiting Jane Austen’s England, but luckily my daughter was snapping away on another camera. I had a few wide-angle shots that were on a different camera, but the day is lost mainly to a memory. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
From Jane’s cottage, my daughter and I walked 10 minutes to Edward’s Chawton estate. Jane called Edward’s home “The Great House,” and often wandered the grounds for inspiration. Today, visitors can walk the grounds and tour the home. The library holds a display devoted to women writers during Jane’s day. For kids, there is a great scavenger hunt, which my daughter loved.
Click here to read about our visit to the Chawton House.
After touring Jane Austen’s cottage and the Chawton House and having a wonderful lunch at the Chawton café, my daughter and I made our way back to Winchester, where we were staying. Chawton to Winchester is about a 30-minute drive and essential for making a pilgrimage to Jane Austen’s England.
In the spring of 1817, Jane became ill. It is believed she had either Hodgkin’s lymphoma or Addison’s disease. At the request of her brother Henry, who lived in Winchester, she sought treatment from his physician, Dr. Lyford. Winchester was a larger city and had a hospital, which offered treatments that Chawton could not.
Jane was accompanied by her sister Cassandra, and they stayed at a friend’s house on College Street. As her body grew weaker inside the home, she continued to write letters to her family and friends. On July 18, 1817, Jane Austen passed away inside the home at 41. Her body was laid to rest inside Winchester Cathedral.
Although she was known as a writer during her time, fame didn’t come until after her death. Her grave is marked by chronicling her faith without a mention of her literary works. When she wrote Sense and Sensibility, the author was listed as “A Lady.” Pride and Prejudice was contributed to “The author of Sense and Sensibility,” and Mansfield Park was published by an anonymous writer. During her time, women writers were not the social norm.
By the mid-19th century, her novels became more popular, and she became in the conversation with England’s greatest writers. She was respected during her time, but did not receive the financial freedom that most famous writers of her day had.
There were moments I was in awe of standing where Jane stood. Seeing her handwriting and her desk was inspiring. However, being in Jane’s home with my daughter was the highlight of my trip to England. At 10-years-old, my daughter can’t fully grasp the impact Jane Austen has had on the literary world, but watching my daughter run from room to room and across Edward’s meadows, gave me a deeper appreciation for Ms. Austen’s impact on the world.
2025 marks Jane Austen’s 250th birthday, and hopefully it will ignite a renewed interest in all of her works. For Jane Austen fans, it’s the perfect time to travel to the United Kingdom and walk in her footsteps, eat where she ate, be inspired by what she witnessed, and pay respects where she rests.
My trip to Jane Austen’s England was assisted by Visit Southeast England.
You might like these other English stories:
– Arundel
Arundel Castle is a Must-Visit for History Lovers, Photographers, and Little Ones Who Want to be knights
– Chawton
A Father and Daughter Visit Jane Austen’s England
Making Memories with My Daughter at the Chawton House
– Hadrian’s Wall
Reliving the Dads4Kesem Hadrian’s Wall Hike
How an Ice Cream Truck Saved the Day During a Hike Across England
– London
Flying Down the River Thames on a Speedboat
Climbing the O2 Arena with My Son
A Speedboat Tour on the Thames is the Perfect Way to Start a London Vacation
Attending a Chelsea FC Match with My Son
Visiting Westminster Abbey
Visiting the Harry Potter Studios in London
Getting Lost on a Ghost Tour in London with My Son
Riding the Tootbus is a Great Way to See London’s Highlights
-Oxford
Alice’s Oxford Door: Where History and Imagination Collide
C.S. Lewis’s Oxford Lamppost
Oxford’s 3 Martyrs
– Portsmouth
Escaping the Rain by Staying in the Lovely Queen’s Hotel
The Spinnaker Tower Looms Above Portsmouth Offering Beautiful Views of the Solent
Walking Through the Mary Rose and Touring the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard
-Stratford-upon-Avon
3-Day Itinerary for Visiting Shakespeare’s England
Walking in Shakespeare’s Footsteps: A Father/Son Story
Visiting Anne Hathaway’s Cottage: Where William Shakespeare’s Love Blossomed
Visiting Shakespeare’s Grave with My Son
Exploring Kenilworth Castle
Stepping Back in Time at Warwick Castle
– Whitchurch
Father and Daughter Weave Silk at the Whitchurch Silk Mill in Hampshire
– Winchester
Winchester England’s Culinary Delights
Winchester 878 AD Interactive Experience was a Highlight for my Daughter During Our Trip to Southeast England
Visiting King Arthur’s Round Table at the Great Hall in Winchester
-Windsor
Visiting Windsor Castle
The Castle Hotel Windsor is the Perfect Place to Stay While Visiting the Royal Sites
Thanks for the helpful history. Glad you have some photos.