Fearful Futures: Omens & Premonitions
10-30 October
‘My heart beat fast and thick: I heard its throb. Suddenly it stood still to an inexpressible feeling that thrilled it through, and passed at once to my head and extremities. The feeling was not like an electric shock; but it was quite as sharp, as strange, as startling […] I saw nothing, but I heard a voice somewhere cry – “Jane! Jane! Jane!” Nothing more.’
– Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre (1847)
In a powerful scene towards the end of her most famous novel, Brontë’s heroine hears the urgent voice of her estranged lover Rochester summoning her back across the moorlands to his burnt ruin of a home. Visions and voices, disturbing dreams and foreshadowed fates are staples of Gothic literature by women. From flaming swords and blood-stained daggers to withered plants and stormy weather; from Victor Frankenstein’s feverish dream of his dead mother to Cathy’s ghostly presence in Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights, the foretold future is often a fearful one, haunted by an unspeakable past.
As summer dies and autumn comes to life, join us for Gothic Season as we explore dark omens, prophecies and premonitions. We open with a new library display on 10 October, and have an exciting 3-week programme including after-dark House tours, night-time walks in the Wilderness, ghostly tales by the fireside, Gothic dining, online talks, and a half-term Halloween trail for kids in the Gardens.
Programme
From Wednesday 12th – Library Display: Fearful Futures
Fearful Futures explores the omens and premotions that terrified eighteenth- and nineteenth-century readers of Gothic fiction, displaying works by some of the best-known and most successful Gothic women writers, alongside their lesser-known contemporaries.
Included in the price of entry throughout Gothic Season (10-30 October)
Wednesday 12th – Online talk: Gothic Wollstonecraft
Join Dr Laura Kirkley, lecturer at Newcastle University for a fascinating talk on the mother of feminism (and sci-fi creating Mary Shelley) on her Gothic themes and literature.
All proceeds go towards the acquisition of Mary Wollstonecraft’s Posthumous Works
Friday 14th – Gothic Supper & Ghostly Tales
6.00-8.00pm OR 7.30-9.30pm
Book onto one of two exclusive sittings for an evening of private dining followed by ghost stories by the fire in the Great Hall. Includes a cocktail on arrival and 3-course meal (wine sold separately)
£50 per head
Monday 17th – Gothic Tour of Chawton House
Are you courageous enough to visit Chawton House after dark?
Once the sun has set, brave a guided tour to experience the grisly ingredients of women’s Gothic and learn about the disturbing contexts that gave rise to the genre. Explore secret passages and unlock forbidden chests to discover ancient manuscripts and the remnants of brutal crimes. Be on the lookout for ghostly apparitions and veiled mysteries as we shine our lanterns on the omens and premonitions that terrified early readers of Gothic.
Tickets: £15 (includes a drink served in the Great Hall)
Please arrive at 6pm for the tour to commence at 6.30pm.
Friday 21st – Gothic Supper & Ghostly Tales
6.00-8.00pm OR 7.30-9.30pm
Book onto one of two exclusive sittings for an evening of private dining followed by ghost stories by the fire in the Great Hall. Includes a cocktail on arrival and 3-course meal (wine sold separately).
£50 per head
From Saturday 22nd – Half Term Gothic Garden Trail
Throughout October Half Term (23 Oct to 31 Oct), 10am-4.30pm (last admission is at 4pm)
Bring your little witches and warlocks to fly around Chawton House’s autumnal gardens over the October half term.
Brave our new ‘Spooky Trail’ and come face to face with wicked witches, peculiar pumpkins and ghostly ghouls- only the most fearless will get to the end.
Included in admission price.
All kids wearing their Halloween costume will get to visit Chawton House for free this week!
Saturday 22nd – Moonlight Wilderness Walk
Are you brave enough to explore the Chawton House gardens by moonlight?
Join one of our knowledgeable guides on a tour of the grounds and discover more about Chawton House’s eerie family history. Don’t forget to look out for the creatures that only emerge in the darkness of night.
Bring a torch – things are going to get dark and spooky…
Tickets: £15 (includes a hot drink before the tour).
Please arrive at 6pm for the tour to commence at 6.30pm.
Monday 24th – Gothic Tour of Chawton House
Are you courageous enough to visit Chawton House after dark?
Tickets: £15 (includes a drink served in the Great Hall)
Please arrive at 6pm for the tour to commence at 6.30pm.
Wednesday 26th – Moonlight Wilderness Walk
Are you brave enough to explore the Chawton House gardens by moonlight?
Bring a torch – things are going to get dark and spooky…
Tickets: £15 (includes a hot drink before the tour).
Please arrive at 6pm for the tour to commence at 6.30pm.
Friday 28th – Gothic Supper & Ghostly Tales
6.00-8.00pm OR 7.30-9.30pm
Book onto one of two exclusive sittings for an evening of private dining followed by ghost stories by the fire in the Great Hall. Includes a cocktail on arrival and 3-course meal (wine sold separately).
£50 per head
Monday 31st – Halloween House Tour
Are you courageous enough to visit Chawton House after dark on the spookiest night of the year?
Tickets: £15 (includes a drink served in the Great Hall)
Please arrive at 6pm for the tour to commence at 6.30pm.
