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| Chawton House |
Chawton House was the home of Edward Austen Knight, brother to Jane Austen. The Knight family adopted Edward when he was young. The Knights were wealthy and numerous. The churchyard is littered with graves of the Knight family. Edward eventually inherited the house, a stones throw from the little house where Jane lived. Her house was the the former bailiffs' residence, which Edward gave to her, her mother and sister Cassandra. This is now the home of the Jane Austen Museum.
My friend and I arrived in the rain, having taken a taxi from Alton station. As we were early for our timed entry, and it was lunchtime, we made for the Tearoom. This is in the old kitchens of the house. After a warming and delicious soup, the rain had stopped and we had time to explore the gardens before we entered the house. The views are lovely across the fields, and the garden grows produce for use in the kitchen.
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| The Old Kitchen Teasrooms |
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| Very civilised - afternoon tea |
The house itself is large over two floors. Many paintings of the paintings are of the Knight family. Currently, there is an exhibition entitled Sisters of the Pen: Jane Austen, Influence, Legacy. We found this fascinating. We hadn't realised there were so many women writers at that time, especially playwrights. I recognised only Mary Wollestoncraft, writer of The Vindication of The Rights of Women (1790). I'd grown up knowing only the Bronte sisters, Jane Austen and Elizabeth Gaskell, but there were many more.
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| Exhibition pace |
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| I fell in love with this cosy corner and then I found out that this was Jane Austen's favourite place to sit and read. |
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| We were expected! |
There is a gift shop (oh, we both succumbed!) and a library behind. The lady in the gift shop let us in, the only room where someone stays with you. Wow! I always love a good library. This one has a secret drop down drinks cubbyhole!
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| Library with hidden drinks cubbyhole |
You can book guided tours of the house, but the information in each room is excellent and we learned a lot. We both loved the house.
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| The pictures represent different women of the family including the Knights. Most had tragic endings losing many children or death after giving birth. |
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| Edward's suit as a boy. Said to be the one he wore when he first met the Knights. |
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| A wedding dress from the film Pride & Prejudice (1993, I believe) |
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| Servants corridor |
At the bottom by the road is St Nicholas Church where plaques on the wall commemorate the Knights (who were also vicars here). Jane Austen's sister Cassandra and their mother are buried in the churchyard.
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| In the churchyard of St Nicholas |
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| Graves of Cassandra Austen and her mother |
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| St Nicholas Church |
After leaving the church the heavens opened. We couldn't get a taxi for over an hour and the bus stop is across a very busy duel carriageway. My ever resourceful friend cadged us a lift from a couple who were leaving by car. They were happy to help and were staying near Chawton. They dropped us at Alton station. My friend once got us into a rowing club in Henley, so we could get a drink after a long walk along the Thames! She just asks!
The house is open all year round, but do check the website as the opening hours change this month.
A few more pictures of the churchyard and land and gardens at Chawton:
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