Discover the ‘Great House’ referred to in Jane Austen’s letters, relax in the peace and tranquillity of the gardens, and find inspiration in the lives and works of our women writers.

If you are looking for things to do in Hampshire, Chawton House is an ideal place to visit. A typical group visit takes around 2 hours, although you may wish to spend longer onsite taking in our changing programme of exhibitions, exploring the gardens and parkland, or enjoying a picnic on the South lawn.

In addition to running regular bookable tours for individuals and small groups (see our What’s On pages), we are open for group tours by appointment.

Whether your interests lie in Jane Austen and women’s writing or historic houses and gardens, our choice of a House History Tour, Curator’s Tour, or Garden Tour will ensure your group enjoys a great day out.

We also offer a series of specialist talks offsite and online, on topics including Jane Austen, Gothic literature by women, and Curator’s talks on our exhibitions.

To find out more and for prices, you can download our Group Visits Guide.

If you would like to find out more about bespoke private tours, download our Private Tours Guide.

Ropley Horticultural Society visit, 2018

Availability

  • Tours are available Monday to Friday all year.

Make an Enquiry

If you would like to book your group tour, please email on  hire@chawtonhouse.org to discuss your requirements.

Group Tour Pre-Arrival Information 

Parking 

We can accommodate minibuses in our car park with prior notice. There is also disabled parking available. However, for larger coaches, we ask that the coach driver drops visitors off at the entrance of the drive to Chawton House. The turning point is tight, but it is possible. Coaches are not permitted to come up the drive to the turning circle. Coach and car parking is available on the local road, leading off the main entrance drive.

Refreshments 

Our tearoom is very small and operates on a first-come-first-serve basis. We do not have to capacity to cater for  large groups, particularly in the busy high season. If your group would like refreshments, please discuss and pre-book with us so that we can prepare, rather turning up on the day.

Late Arrival 

Late arrival of groups can be very disruptive for visitors, tour guides and our kitchen staff. Please call 01420 541010 if you are going to be late. We reserve the right to refuse entry to groups who are more than 30 minutes late.

Changes

Please inform us as soon as possible if you would like to make changes to your booking, and we will do our best to accommodate you, although please not that we cannot make changes to catering less than one week in advance of your visit.

We look forward to welcoming your group to Chawton House!