Jane Austen's life was more fascinating than fiction. I travelled to four destinations to learn all about it
On a peaceful street in Winchester, England's medieval capital, stands P&G Wells, advertised as 'Britain's oldest bookshop (probably).' From the wood-panelled storefront, you can spot a window display dedicated to the literary legend who once frequented this place herself: Jane Austen.
A sculpture, by local artist Robert Truscott, depicts her at a writing table with quill in hand, oblivious to anyone's gaze. It's a fitting scene. In her lifetime, no one had any inkling she would become one of the world's most adored authors. Her books were published anonymously. The first edition of 'Sense and Sensibility' declared only that it was written 'By a Lady.'
I picture Austen browsing these shelves, which now showcase her six completed novels — plus some of the countless works she inspired. Stacks of sequels, spinoffs and other fan fiction prove her enduring modern appeal. Would we have 'Bridget Jones's Diary' without 'Pride and Prejudice,' or 'Clueless' without 'Emma'? As if!
Just a small selection of the books that Austen has inspired, on display at P&G Wells. The author once frequented the historic Winchester shop.
'This is incredible, isn't it?' says tour guide Erica Wheeler, gesturing to the great many Austen biographies. 'Everybody's so interested in her — and not just in the books. Everybody wants to know about Jane Austen herself.'
Austen's life story is as intriguing as her fiction, and 2025 is an opportune time to learn all about it. This is the writer's 250th birthday, inspiring a year-long calendar of special events, including festivals, lectures, museum exhibitions, theatrical performances and fancy costume balls. There will be celebrations in Steventon, Bath, Chawton and
Winchester
, all destinations that claim her as a local.
Just a few doors down from the
P&G Wells bookshop
is another historic address. The painted-brick home at 8 College Street is nondescript, save for a small plaque: 'In this house Jane Austen lived her last days and died 18th July 1817.' The author had come to Winchester seeking care for a mystery ailment. She perished shortly thereafter, at age 41.
The private residence, now
part of Winchester College
, has never opened to the public, until now. This summer (until the end of August), Janeites from around the world can come see an artifact-filled exhibition or sign up for a private guided tour.
A five-minute walk away is Austen's final resting place, the most prominent landmark in town:
Winchester Cathedral
. How did then-obscure Austen end up in one of Europe's finest medieval cathedrals, under the same roof as kings? Word has it that family — one brother was a clergyman — may have pulled some strings. A gravestone only hints at Austen's vocation, mentioning 'the extraordinary endowments of her mind.' A brass tablet, added in 1872, is more forthright, revealing she was 'known to many by her writings.'
Left: The memorial stone marking Jane's final resting place inside Winchester Cathedral. Right: A brass tablet, added in 1872, belatedly acknowledged her writing talent.
Jane Austen was born in 1775, in the tiny, rural
Hampshire
village of Steventon, where she grew up with seven siblings and spent her first 25 years. Today, a classic red phone booth, emblazoned with her name and turned into a free little library, serves as an adorable 'visitors' centre.' The Austen family home, the old rectory, was demolished long ago, but the open field where it stood will host a Regency-themed fair in her honour next month.
A tree-shaded lane leads up to St. Nicholas Church, where the writer's father, Reverend George Austen, preached. It's still an active place of worship for the community of 250 locals and has become a small-scale tourist attraction.
'There's not a lot to see, in a way,' churchwarden Marilyn Wright tells me, 'but the countryside hasn't changed.' Taking in the bucolic atmosphere, the bluebells and birdsong, I can see why Austen was so fond of long walks in the country, a favoured pastime in her fiction. Travellers can follow in her footsteps on the newly opened
Overton Jane Austen Trails
.
The most obvious pilgrimage site for Janeites is
Bath
, recognized by UNESCO as one of the great spa towns of Europe. Today, it's home to a small, dedicated museum,
the Jane Austen Centre
. It hosts a 10-day
Jane Austen Festival
each September, where you might see the 'largest gathering of people dressed in Regency costumes' (the festival holds the current Guinness World Record).
Bath's annual Jane Austen Festival is the largest celebration of its kind. Events include guided walks, theatrical performances and costume balls.
Austen herself held little affection for Bath. Although 'Northanger Abbey' and 'Persuasion' are set here, she didn't write much in the city. She moved to Bath in 1801, along with her dear sister, Cassandra, because her parents wanted to retire in the resort town, which attracted the gentry during the social season.
'Bath was the place you brought your unmarried daughters to get them married. So I think the Reverend Austen chose Bath because he thought,
My daughters are in the last-chance saloon.
I must get them married, and Bath is where to do it
,' explains Theresa Roche of
Strictly Jane Austen Tours
, guiding me along the cobblestone streets and grand Georgian crescents in her period costume: a butter-yellow gown with matching gloves, pearls and parasol.
As it turned out, Bath didn't set the scene for a new romance. (Austen did once accept a marriage proposal, from the brother of friends, but had a change of heart by the next day.) Instead, a plot twist: Reverend Austen died, abruptly. 'That left the mother and the two daughters, now 'unmarriageable,' basically relying 100 per cent on the brothers,' explains Roche of the women's precarious fate.
'By 1806, their money has run out, and they're living in a slum. They're desperate,' says Roche. Jane Austen's lucky break came out of tragedy: Her wealthiest brother, Edward Austen Knight, lost his wife during childbirth. With 11 kids to raise, he realized his mom and two sisters could look after his brood. 'He offers them a cottage to live in for the rest of their lives,' explains Roche. 'And if he hadn't done that, I don't think we would have Jane Austen's books.'
Jane Austen's House, in Chawton, Hampshire, is a cherished museum in the red-brick cottage where the author spent her last eight years.
Located in the village of Chawton, this red-brick cottage is now the charity-run museum known as
Jane Austen's House
. Carefully restored, right down to the historically faithful botanical wallpaper, it's one of the most treasured literary sites in the world. Austen thrived here over the last eight years of her life, happy to be back in her beloved Hampshire.
Inside the drawing room, I picture Austen doing her first-ever reading of 'Pride and Prejudice' right when it was published, sharing it with a neighbour one wintry evening in 1813. (She didn't disclose she was the author.) In the dining parlour, I see the tiny walnut table where she wrote and revised her novels. Her eyesight was bad, so it was placed by the window for the best light.
In another room, a special exhibition called '
Austenmania!
' pays tribute to 1995, which saw 'the birth of modern Austen fandom.' That year, and purely by coincidence, four Austen-related adaptations hit screens: 'Pride and Prejudice' (of Colin Firth lake-diving fame), the BBC's 'Persuasion,' Ang Lee's 'Sense and Sensibility,' and the coming-of-age rom-com 'Clueless.' It was such a cultural moment that Entertainment Weekly named Jane Austen one of its Entertainers of the Year.
When 'Pride and Prejudice' was published, Jane Austen gave her first-ever reading in this drawing room.
Austen wasn't a household name until long after her death, and it was her own life that helped earn her books a wide audience. When one of her nephews published 'A Memoir of Jane Austen' in 1869, her works finally caught the general public's attention.
A fascinating heroine, flouting convention. A true tale of dramatic twists and turns and triumph. Talk about main-character energy.
'What's revolutionary about Jane Austen: two things,' says Roche during our tour in Bath. 'She made money by her own hand, long before it became normal. And she created women characters who weren't perfect. She was, in many ways, ahead of her time.'
How to get there:
From London, train service connects to Bath and Winchester; both cities are walkable once you arrive. Smaller destinations like Chawton are easiest to reach by car; arrange a ride with a local taxi company.
Where to stay:
Hotel Indigo Bath
offers playfully designed accommodations in an 18th-century Georgian building, including 'literary hideaway' rooms (one inspired by Austen). In Winchester,
Kyoto Kitchen Rooms
is a boutique micro-hotel above the city's popular Japanese restaurant.
What else to do:
In Bath, the modern
Thermae Bath Spa
is the only place in Britain where you can bathe in water from hot springs (go midweek and early to avoid crowds). After visiting Jane Austen's House, stroll to her rich brother Edward's manor,
Chawton House
, where the current special exhibition 'Sisters of the Pen' highlights Austen and other women writers of her era. Before flying home, catch a London showing of '
Plied and Prejudice
,' an irreverent, not-for-kids rendition of Austen's best-loved book.
The writer travelled as a guest of VisitBritain,
Visit West
and Visit Hampshire, which did not review or approve this article.
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