Our tours are given by enthusiastic and knowledgeable guides, and designed to showcase the rich history of the house, the unique collection of women’s writing, and the beauty of the garden and parkland.
Included in the per-person price for group visits, tours can be tailored to cater to different educational levels and interests. Please let us know your requirements during booking and we will do our best to accommodate you.
Our current choices are:
House History Tour
Learn how the estate has evolved over the years, was saved from Cromwell’s destruction by a toddler, and in the following centuries provided a secure home for Jane Austen in one of its cottages. Discover the many captivating secrets of the ‘Great house’: spot the superstitious anti-witch marks on the 16th century fireplace; uncover a message in a bottle from a Victorian squire; search a painting for hidden Regency graffiti; and explore a fascinating collection of women’s writing in the library.
Recommended for: History, History of Art, Architecture, Jane Austen family history
Curator’s Tour
Find out more about the unique collection of early women’s writing held in the library at Chawton House by exploring the books, objects and their stories with one of Chawton House’s curatorial team. There are two exhibitions at Chawton House each year and a number of smaller displays, with recent exhibitions including The Art of Freezing the Blood: Northanger Abbey, Frankenstein, & the Female Gothic (2018); Man Up! Women who stepped into a man’s world (2020); Botanical Women (2021); Trailblazers: Women Travel Writers and the Exchange of Knowledge (2022-23); Quills and Characters (2023); Treasures of Chawton House (2023-24). Curator’s tours will change according to the current exhibition, but will focus on the literary treasures of the house.
Please note that exhibition rooms may be closed during changeovers, in which case the tour will focus on displays and the library.
Recommended for: English Literature (particularly eighteenth- and nineteenth-century) Women’s Writing, Heritage Studies
Garden Tour
Discover the beautiful gardens of Chawton House and learn the history of their transformation from the formal layout of the 17th century through to the restored English landscape style of the late 18th century. Your walk will take you from a pleasant garden terrace to a walled garden where you will hear the story of the Elizabeth Blackwell herb garden, then through the rambling wilderness to see the avenue of limes and the hidden ha-ha, and admire the changing views of the house and the landscape that so inspired Jane Austen.
Please wear appropriate footwear, especially in the Winter months!
Recommended for: Horticulture, History (particularly landscape history)
Make an Enquiry
Prices and availability vary. For student groups, please download our Education Visits Guide. For other groups, please see our Group Visits Guide
If you would like to book an Education visit, please email kim.simpson@chawtonhouse.org.
If you would like to book a group tour, please email hire@chawtonhouse.org.