This autumn, Chawton House embraces the shadows with a programme of Gothic delights inspired by the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth. Taking our cue from Catherine Morland’s ‘dreadful suspicions’ in Northanger Abbey, we invite you to step into a season of spine-tingling tales, eerie encounters, and literary chills.
What’s On: Gothic Season
Halloween Half Term Kids’ Trails: Gothic Pieces, Phantom Faces & a Cauldron Hunt
Wednesday 22 October 2024 to Sunday 2November
For 2 weeks, Chawton House plays host to Cursed Creatures from Gothic literature. As the heroines and heroes of the story, your journey through the rooms will see you communing with the spirits, dining with the dead, and uncovering grisly secrets in heavy wooden chests or behind black veils. Families can enjoy two brand-new spooky trails through the house, designed by our summer work experience student, or hunt cauldrons in the Garden. In the library, a specially-created display will showcase the monsters in our collection.
Free with admission.
Screening: Pride & Prejudice & Zombies
Sunday 26 October
7-9.30pm
In the 19th century, a mysterious plague turns the English countryside into a war zone. No one is safe as the dead come back to life to terrorize the land. Fate leads Elizabeth Bennet, a master of martial arts and weaponry, to join forces with Mr. Darcy, a handsome but arrogant gentleman. Casting aside their personal differences, they unite on the blood-soaked battlefield to save their country. Spend the evening with us in the atmospheric Great Hall to be thrilled and terrified by Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2016).
Tickets: £15pp
Gothic Supper & Ghostly Tales
Monday 27 October
7-9.30pm
Sit down to a decadent three-course meal, inspired by Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey, served in the shadowy corners of our historic kitchen. As the candles burn lower and the night deepens, gather around the crackling fire in the Great Hall for a dramatic finale. Sasha Dean will bring to life chilling excerpts from Jane Austen’s beloved ‘horrid novels’ and the works of Ann Radcliffe, Mary Shelley, and others – tales designed to delight and disturb in equal measure.
Tickets: £50pp including a welcome drink on arrival. Wine and soft drinks available to purchase separately.
Kids’ Halloween Craft Day
Tuesday 28 October
10.30am-4pm
A special opening day for families only – bring your little witches and warlocks to explore the House & trails, with broom/wand-making in the Great Hall. Pumpkin-carving workshops in the Old Kitchen Tearoom will take place at 10.30am and 2.30pm (booking essential).
Tickets: Kids House entry: £5 | Adult House entry: £10 | Kids Workshop (includes House entry): £7.50 | Adults Pumpkin Workshop (includes House entry): £5
Gothic House Tours
Tuesday 28 & Thursday 30 October
6.30-8.15pm
Join us for a night to freeze the blood as we step into the world of Gothic literature. Enjoy the atmospheric surroundings of Chawton House, and indulge in ‘dreadful suspicions’ as you learn the secrets of the house, the portraits, and the books within.
Tickets: £15pp (includes a Gothic cocktail/soft drink on arrival)
Halloween Gothic Supper & Ghostly Tales
Friday 31 October
7-9.30pm
Sit down to a decadent three-course meal, inspired by Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey, served in the shadowy corners of our historic kitchen. As the candles burn lower and the night deepens, gather around the crackling fire in the Great Hall for a dramatic finale. Lose yourself in a chilling, specially-created ghost story, The Story of Alice Barton, written and performed by Nigel Worsfold – a spine-tingling of witchcraft in 17th-century Hampshire that will curdle your blood and quicken the beatings of your heart!
Tickets: £50pp including a welcome drink on arrival. Wine and soft drinks available to purchase separately.
Join us… if you dare – we promise to keep the ghosts on their best behaviour!