Chawton House: home to early women’s writing

‘I went up to the Great House between 3 & 4, & dawdled away an hour very comfortably.’ Jane Austen, 1814

Walk in Jane Austen’s footsteps as you visit the ‘Great House’ owned by her brother Edward where she spent much of her time. Plan your visit

‘Edward is very well and enjoys himself as well as any Hampshire born Austen can desire. – He talks of making a new Garden…’ Jane Austen, 1813

Explore the beautiful landscaped gardens More about the gardens

‘You know how interesting the purchase of a sponge-cake is to me’ Jane Austen, 1815

Enjoy a slice of homemade cake or a light lunch in the Old Kitchen Tearoom without paying an admission fee. Menu

‘We four sweet Brothers & Sisters dine today at the Great House. Is not that quite natural?’ Jane Austen, 1815

See the table where Jane Austen dined with her family, and view her brother’s suit, travel journal and portrait. Plan your visit

‘Why not seize the pleasure at once? -- How often is happiness destroyed by preparation, foolish preparation!’ Jane Austen, 1814

Enjoy a relaxed afternoon exploring the corridors of the Elizabethan manor house. Plan your visit

‘When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library’ Jane Austen, 1813

Breathe in the leather bound books in the library and hear tales from the fascinating collection of early women's writing More about the collection

What’s on

More events

Monday 4th March 2019 to Monday 16th December 2019

Display: Writing Women's Rights

Monday 4th March 2019 to Monday 16th December 2019

Exhibition: Jane Austen's Reading

Sunday 1st September 2019 to Friday 29th November 2019

Mary Wollstonecraft at Versailles during the French Revolution

Thursday 26th September 2019 to Thursday 24th October 2019

Yoga at Chawton House

New for 2019, the Jane Austen Garden Trail is a unique walking route around the Chawton grounds.

Help us to keep the house, grounds and library going today. Donate now

North American Friends can donate here.

The ‘Reading with Austen’ website.

This site digitally recreates of the Library of Godmersham Park, as Jane Austen would have seen it. Click here to explore the Library, and here to read the blog.

Latest news

More news

16th October 2019

Announcing our pumpkin carving competition!

Help 'spookify' Chawton House and be in with a chance of winning a prize... From now until 31st October we want YOU to bring in

27th September 2019

Dangerous Reading & Worlds that Should Be: Amelia Opie’s Adeline Mowbray

September, 2019. Postdoctoral Fellow Kim Simpson writes the second in the Amelia Opie blog series ‘marriage is wise and ought to be a sacred institution;

3rd September 2019

Could you be our first Curator?

Chawton House wishes to appoint its first Curator The Curator will be responsible for the extraordinary early women writers library collection, and the remaining library,