Making Memories with My Daughter at the Chawton House: Jane Austen Would Be Proud

I would love to share the beautiful photos I took of the Chawton House, but I can’t do that.
I would love to share photos of my daughter running from room-to-room, looking for the items during a scavenger hunt, but I can’t do that.
I would love to share photos of my daughter running through the gardens, where Jane Austen and the family had picnics, but I can’t do that.

If you’ve read a previous story about visiting Jane Austen’s house, you might remember that something happened to my scan disc and I lost all the photos I took of the memorable day. The main reason for my trip to southeast England was to tour Jane Austen’s England for her 250th birthday celebration. A photographer’s nightmare occurred, and I lost everything.

On top of the disappointment from losing the photos, was the fact that the day was a wonderful time spent with my daughter and I wished the joy would’ve been captured and frozen in time. My daughter is my fourth kid and has had the least amount of one-on-one time with me. When the trip was being put together, I was excited to create special memories with her. We have already had countless bonding moments together, but I wanted to give her the travel experience that my other kids have received.

Before the trip, she knew little about Jane Austen. We watched Pride and Prejudice together, but the book was a little too grown-up to hold her attention. I focused on telling my daughter about the literary significance Jane Austen has had and her impact on women writers.

After we toured the Jane Austen House, we walked for about 10 minutes to the Chawton House, which was the home of Jane’s brother, Edward.

The house was built in the 16th century by Sir Richard Knight. It was constructed in the Elizabethan style with mullioned windows. The estate remained in the Knight family for centuries. In the early 18th century, Thomas Knight II and his wife Catherine visited the Austen family, who were distant cousins. Thomas and Catherine were older and childless. While interacting with the Austen family, the couple took a liking to young Edward Austen. The couple were planning a trip around Europe and asked to bring Edward along. The Austens were not a rich family and agreed to let Edward see the world. Upon returning home, the Knights offered to adopt Edward and let him be their heir. In what I’m sure was a tough decision to make; the Austens agreed.

Since Edward was going to be the heir of great wealth, he was given opportunities to study, learn how to be a gentleman, and experience the world in the ways only the wealthy could. When Edward grew up and his adopted parents passed on, Edward provided his widowed mother and sisters, Jane and Cassandra, a cottage to live in. The cottage is where Jane wrote six of her novels. The freedom of a home provided Jane with the ability to focus on her writing.

Edward married Elizabeth Bridges, and they had eleven children. After Elizabeth died in 1791, he remained unmarried. Edward died in 1852 at 85.

During Jane’s lifetime, she frequently visited the Chawton House, and the home inspired many of her novels. In the 1990s, the house was restored by Sandy Lerner, an American philanthropist, and she established the Chawton House Library, which focuses on women’s writing from 1600 to 1830.

While my daughter and I visited the Chawton House, it was easy to see how the home inspired Jane Austen’s writing. At one point, I watched my daughter run around the field as her long hair blew around in the wind and her dress shimmered in the sunlight. I smiled as I thought, “I think Jane would be proud of this moment.” I lifted my camera to capture the moment, but alas, the moment is only visible from inside my head.

When visiting historic sites, there is always the fear that my kids are going to be bored. I love history and enjoy soaking up everything a historic location offers. And being a fan of Jane Austen, I really wanted the day to be exceptional.

When we entered the Chawton House, my daughter was given a checklist of things to find during a scavenger hunt. My daughter absolutely loves scavenger hunts, and I’m always thankful when we go to a museum that has one. With her camera in one hand and the cards she needed to find in the other, we set off on a self-guided tour of the home. A blue star sat in various places in the home, which meant there was something to find. We went from room-to-room trying to find everything. At the end of the tour, we were missing one thing; an old fire extinguisher.

We found a tour guide, and we asked her where it might be. After some thought, she told us where it might be located. Since we were the very first people to participate in the scavenger hunt, not everyone was familiar with what we were looking for. The guide was right, and we found the hidden fire extinguisher.

The scavenger hunt was perfect for the two of us. My daughter loved trying to find everything on the list, while I appreciated using the time she searched for learning more about the Knights and Jane Austen. It was also fun to be on the mission with my daughter.

After our time touring the home and finding all the items in the scavenger hunt, we had a lovely lunch at the café. At one point, my exuberant daughter talked rapidly about how much fun she had, which included standing up and doing a little dance. At first, I tried to reel in her excitement until I noticed an elderly couple in the middle of their lunch, smiling at my daughter. I made eye contact with the man, who had to occasionally assist his wife with eating. For a few seconds, the elderly Englishman and I had a moment. It was as if he was telling me with a glint of happiness in his eyes to enjoy the time spent with her. I didn’t tell her to be quiet or to sit down. I left her alone to be happy and not restrict her enjoyment. In true Jane Austen fashion, I gave her the freedom to express herself in her own way.

At first, looking back on the day was difficult, because the photographer side of me was let down. Losing the cartridge stings, and it makes me feel like I wasn’t being professional. However, the dad side of me, which is the dominant side, had a perfect day. I got to see my daughter in her element throughout the day. And at the end of the day, I received the reminder that time is fleeting and not always about that perfect Instagram post. It’s about time spent with those you love and doesn’t need to be perfect. There are perfect memories within imperfect outcomes.

All the photos in this story were taken by my daughter.