Jane Austen's House Museum - House Crazy Sarah

This charming brick cottage in the English countryside was Jane Austen’s final home – the place where she wrote all six of her beloved novels.

The home is located in the village of Chawton near Alton in Hampshire, England.

Here, the celebrated novelist spent the last eight years of her life writing, revising, and publishing the classic books: Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Emma, Northanger Abbey, and Persuasion.

Her former home was historically called Chawton Cottage. It dates back to the 17th century and has been deemed a historic Grade I listed building since 1963.

Today Chawton Cottage is known as Jane Austen’s House Museum because it has been preserved and restored to the period when Austen lived and wrote here.

Originally home to farmers, the house was also briefly a pub – The New Inn – between 1781 and 1787. Interestingly, the pub was the site of two murders, and after the second murder, the house was leased by Jane Austen’s brother, Edward Austen Knight.

Edward Austen Knight allowed his mother and sisters to live in the house so they had a permanent residence. Two hundred years ago, women’s economic security and living situation depended largely on their male relatives, as Jane Austen knew all too well.

Austen lived in the house with her mother, her sister Cassandra, and a longtime family friend Martha Lloyd from July 1809 until May 1817, when illness caused Jane to move to Winchester to be near her physician. Jane Austen died in Winchester on July 18, 1817, at age 41. Her mother and sister continued to live in Chawton Cottage until their deaths in 1827 and 1845 respectively.

Jane Austen 1775 – 1817

Historic photo of Jane Austen’s house

Modern-day photo of Jane Austen’s house

As you can see, the exterior looks largely untouched.

However, after Cassandra’s death in 1845, the cottage underwent interior renovations to accommodate laborers’ families from the larger Chawton Estate. The home was divided into small apartments and part of the building became a workman’s club by the beginning of the twentieth century.

Rear View Of The Home

Jane Austen’s House Museum was established in 1947 and until 2014 it was governed by the Jane Austen Memorial Trust. The house is now owned and operated by the Jane Austen’s House Museum CIO, a registered charity whose objective is “the advancement of education and in particular the study of English literature, especially the works of Jane Austen.”

Today, Jane Austen’s House is a well-curated museum with an amazing collection of Austen memorabilia, including original furniture, paintings, jewelry, and household objects.

Let’s go inside…

The Drawing Room

Visitors can explore the rooms where Jane lived and wrote, including the Drawing Room where she reportedly read an excerpt from Pride and Prejudice aloud to a neighbor on the day she received her first copy.

The Parlour

As well as re-created period rooms, the house also includes ‘museum rooms’ where precious items from the collection are kept safe in secure display cases. The museum staff always aims to have a Jane Austen handwritten letter or a first edition on display.

The Dining Room

While it is a lovely place to have dined, Jane Austen is also said to have written in the vibrant green dining room.

The Scullery

The kitchen has been recreated to how it may have looked during Austen’s time here.

The Bedrooms

The bedroom pictured above appears to be the master bedroom.

There is a smaller bedroom upstairs which is believed to have been shared by Jane and her beloved sister Cassandra.

Opposite end of the room:

The Carriage House

Even the restored carriage house is part of the tour!

Jane Austen’s House Museum is a magical place where visitors can step back in time and follow in Jane’s footsteps to see where she lived, found her inspiration, and wrote her beloved novels.