Events

As you explore Jane Austen’s House, keep a look out for a trail of presents that were given to Jane Austen or her family, or to characters in her novels – from a slice of cheese to a lock of hair and an embroidered handkerchief…

As you go, think about whether these would be good presents to receive, and whether you would like to give or receive any of these for Christmas!

Pick up a free trail and enjoy reliving moments from Jane Austen’s novels and her life story, as you explore the House where she lived and wrote.

Details:
Dates: 26 November – 30 December 2025
Times: 10am – 5pm (last entry 4pm)
Tickets: Free with House entry

In the month of Jane Austen’s 250th birthday, we invite all our visitors to take up pen and ink to write a heartfelt message to Jane Austen in a very special Birthday Book.

This unique volume has been created by Marci Welch, a 3rd year student at West Dean College currently working toward her BA in Bookbinding and Design.

At the end of the year, the book will be added to the Museum Archive, where it will be held in perpetuity as a memento of this special anniversary year.

Details:
Date: 3 – 30 December 2025, daily
Time: 10am – 5pm (last entry 4pm)
Location: Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us.
Tickets: Free with House entry

*SOLD OUT* Join us for a very special event… as part of a small group, you are invited to see some of the treasures in our collection up close.

In this exclusive event we’ll be following the story of Jane Austen’s legacy from her first publication to the present day. We’ll start with Cassandra’s handwritten copy of the Sanditon manuscript, before diving into a series of special later editions of Jane Austen’s novels, their illustrations and adaptations. Along the way you’ll see costume designs, theatre posters, and mementos.

This event is led by an expert on our collection who will guide you through Jane Austen’s life, works and legacy, via these precious objects.

The group numbers will be kept small and there will be plenty of opportunity to ask questions and discuss as we go along.

Details:
Date: Friday 12 December
Time: 11am – 12.30pm
Location: This event is at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us
Tickets: £19.50

 This event does not include House admission. Please purchase admission separately or use your Annual Pass if you wish to explore the House.

🎉 This event is part of our Jane Austen Birthday Celebration, running from 12 – 16 December 2025

Drop into a free, pop up talk celebrating 250 years of Jane Austen’s legacy – from her birth in 1775 right up until the present day.

Details:
Dates: 12 – 15 December, daily. 16 December, hourly from 11:30am-3:30pm
Time: 12.30pm – 12.45pm
Location: Historic Kitchen
Free, with House admission

🎫 No event ticket required, this event is free with House entry.

❗Please select the correct date and time slot when booking your tickets to enjoy this event.

🎉 This event is part of our Jane Austen Birthday Celebration, running from 12 – 16 December 2025

Join us for a quiet and inspiring creative writing session in the beautiful grounds of Jane Austen’s House. No need to book – just drop in and write!   

This session will take place in the cosy Learning Centre tucked behind Jane Austen’s House. We’ll provide a warm, quiet space in which to write, pens and paper, access to our extensive reference library, and fortifying tea and coffee. 

Bring along your work in progress or start something new! 

Details:
Date: Friday 12 December
Time: 2pm – 4pm
Location: This event will take place at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us.
Tickets: Free with House admission – book general admission here – please make sure you select 12 December!

🎫 No event ticket required, this event is free with House entry.

❗ Please select the correct date and time slot when booking your general admission ticket to enjoy this event

🎉 This event is part of our Jane Austen Birthday Celebration, running from 12 – 16 December 2025

Enjoy an evening away from the bustle of Christmas preparations and step back in time to enjoy a magical evening at Jane Austen’s House.

As twilight falls, join us for a unique, candlelit guided tour of the House and discover Jane Austen’s story, told by an expert guide, using the House itself and objects from the collection to set the scene.

Walk through rooms Jane and her family knew and loved, discover their Christmas traditions and family pastimes, and enjoy the House dressed for Christmas.

DETAILS:
Date: Friday 12 December
Time: 5pm – 6pm, and 5:30pm – 6:30pm
Location: This event takes place at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us
Tickets: £19.50

❗ Please click through the calendar and select the correct date when booking this event.

👥 Capacity for each tour will be kept low to allow for the best possible experience. 

⏰ The tour will begin promptly.  Please make sure you arrive in good time to join the group. Latecomers may not be admitted.

Join us for a full day of talks and events, on the second day of our Jane Austen Birthday Celebration!

This ticket includes three very special events here in Chawton on Saturday 13 December, and House entry for the day. If you wish to attend all of these events, this ticket bundle is the best option!

Talk: Patchwork with Lauren MacDonald
Times: 11am – 12pm

Quilt workshop with Lauren MacDonald
Times: 1.30pm – 4.30pm

A Celebration of Jane Austen
Times: 5.30pm – 7.30pm

Details:
Date: Saturday 13 December
Times: 11am – 7.30pm (House entry from 10am)
Location: This event is at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us
Tickets: £110

 Tickets for this event include House entry for this day only.

☕ This event includes refreshments, please let us know on booking if you have any dietary requirements.

🎉 This event is part of our Jane Austen Birthday Celebration, running from 12 – 16 December 2025

A fascinating exploration of quilting past and present by Lauren MacDonald – textile designer, quilt-maker and author.

Lauren will talk about her new book Piece by Piece, a guide to making 20 modern patchwork and quilting projects from preloved fabrics. She’ll also dive into her own textile journey – quilts she has known and loved, and the quilts she has created over the last 15 years. She’ll also draw on one of the treasures of the museum collection – the patchwork coverlet created by Jane and her mother and sister Cassandra from scraps of dress and furnishing fabrics, which can be seen on display in the House.

Piece by Piece is a hands-on craft book complete with patterns, tutorials and projects that use a mix of quilting, patchwork and applique. Lauren shares her enthusiasm for and knowledge of quilting with approachable warmth and humour in this indispensable guide to modern patchwork and quilting.

‘Piece by Piece, the joyful, generous new title by Lauren MacDonald, is a love letter to patchwork, reuse, and the quiet satisfaction of making something beautiful from what you already have.’ – Selvedge Magazine

Lauren MacDonald is a London-based designer, author, and founder of textiles studio, Working Cloth. She’s interested in the intersections between craft, technology, and labour, particularly around activities traditionally considered ‘womens’ work’. Her first non-fiction book, In Pursuit of Color: from fungi to fossil fuels: uncovering the origins of the world’s most famous dyes was released in 2023. Her second book, Piece by Piece: modern patchwork and quilting projects to make from pre-loved fabrics came out last spring. Working Cloth has collaborated with the Institute of Making at University College London (UCL), Toast, and Sydney Craft Week. Lauren’s work has featured in The New York Times, Vogue, CNN, Hyperallergic, Country Living, Homes & Gardens and House & Home.

Details:
Date: Saturday 13 December
Time: 11am – 12pm
Location: This event will take place at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us.
Tickets: £15

This event ticket does not include House entry. If you wish to explore the House please buy an admission ticket or use your Annual Pass.

🎉 This event is part of our Jane Austen Birthday Celebration, running from 12 – 16 December 2025

In this fun and practical afternoon workshop you’ll learn the skills to create a patchwork like the one Jane Austen, her sister Cassandra and their mother made together, and you’ll learn a few other tricks too.

Expertly led by Lauren MacDonald – designer, quilt-maker and author – in celebration of her new book Piece by Piece, a guide to making 20 modern patchwork and quilting projects from preloved fabrics.

You’ll learn:

• How to do basic patchwork by hand
• What English paper piecing is and how to do it
• How to put the layers of a coverlet together and finish your patchwork. Lauren will demonstrate this, but because of time constraints (and ambitions, if you’d like to make a bigger patchwork) you will complete this part at home.

What will be supplied:

• Pre-cut fabric for patchwork (diamonds, squares, and hexagons)
• English paper piece templates
• Thread
• Needles
• Thread snips

Suitable for beginners and sewing enthusiasts of all ages (10+).

Lauren MacDonald is a London-based designer, author, and founder of textiles studio, Working Cloth. She’s interested in the intersections between craft, technology, and labour, particularly around activities traditionally considered ‘womens’ work’. Her first non-fiction book, In Pursuit of Color: from fungi to fossil fuels: uncovering the origins of the world’s most famous dyes was released in 2023. Her second book, Piece by Piece: modern patchwork and quilting projects to make from pre-loved fabrics came out last spring. Working Cloth has collaborated with the Institute of Making at University College London (UCL), Toast, and Sydney Craft Week. Lauren’s work has featured in The New York Times, Vogue, CNN, Hyperallergic, Country Living, Homes & Gardens and House & Home.

Details:
Date: Saturday 13 December
Time: 1.30pm – 4.30pm
Location: This event will take place at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us.
Tickets: £45

Tickets for this event are still available as part of the Full Day Pass: Saturday 13 December – find out more

 Tickets for this event include House entry for this day only.

 This event includes refreshments, please let us know on booking if you have any dietary requirements.

🎉 This event is part of our Jane Austen Birthday Celebration, running from 12 – 16 December 2025

Join us for a very special evening celebrating Jane Austen in words and objects…

We’ll begin with drinks in the Historic Kitchen – join us for warming mulled wine and mince pies – festive treats that we know Jane enjoyed – and a toast to our favourite authoress, just days before her 250^th birthday!

Moving into the House, we’ll examine a number of very special objects from the museum collection up close, under the expert guidance of our collections team. Gather round to see objects that reveal stories of Jane’s birthday and of Christmas – including first editions of her novels, a holograph letter that she wrote in December 1815, a letter written by her mother in which her pregnancy with Jane is mentioned, and a sketch of Steventon Rectory – Jane’s birthplace and childhood home.

We’ll then move into the Drawing Room, where Jane read her novels aloud to her own family circle, and enjoy a series of lively readings by actors Hollie Hales and Adam Cunis – bringing Jane Austen’s words and characters to life. We’ll hear from Jane’s personal letters, recounting scenes from her own family Christmases, and enjoy festive episodes from her novels – from the Christmas Eve dinner party in Emma to the Musgrove’s old-fashioned Christmas revelry in Persuasion.

As a master of dialogue, Jane Austen’s works are best enjoyed out loud, and this delightful performance will bring the characters alive in the very room in which Jane gave voice to them herself.

You’ll leave aglow with festive cheer and some Christmas treats to take away with you and enjoy at home.

Details:
Date: Saturday 13 December
Performance times: 5.30 – 7.30pm
Location: This event is at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us
Tickets: £55

Tickets for this event are still available as part of the Full Day Pass: Saturday 13 December – find out more

☕ This event includes refreshments, please let us know on booking if you have any dietary requirements.

🎉 This event is part of our Jane Austen Birthday Celebration, running from 12 – 16 December 2025

About the performers:

Hollie Hales trained at RADA. Her recent audio work includes Tales of a Monstrous Heart by Jennifer Delaney, Bookishly Ever After by Mia Page (Audible) and Charles Dickens: A Brain on Fire “The Gordon Riots” podcast.

Adam Cunis’s recent work includes A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Bridge Theatre), Macbeth Storytelling (Sam Wanamaker Playhouse) and The Woman in the Moon (Sam Wanamaker Playhouse).

Step away from the bustle of Christmas preparations and journey back in time to enjoy a magical, early-morning tour of Jane Austen’s House.

Before the House opens to visitors, you will enjoy a unique, festive guided tour of the House and discover Jane Austen’s story, told by an expert guide, using the House itself and objects from the collection to set the scene.

Walk through rooms Jane and her family knew and loved, discover their Christmas traditions and family pastimes, and enjoy the House dressed for Christmas.

DETAILS:
Date: Sunday 14 December
Time: 9am – 10am
Location: This event takes place at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us
Tickets: This event can only be booked as part of the Full Day Pass on 14 December.

**This event is now fully booked**

👥 Capacity for each tour will be kept low to allow for the best possible experience. 

 Tickets for this event include House entry for this day only.

⏰ The tour will begin promptly.  Please make sure you arrive in good time to join the group. Latecomers may not be admitted.

*SOLD OUT* Join us for a full day of talks and events, on the third day of our Jane Austen Birthday Celebration!

This ticket includes four events here in Chawton on 14 December, House entry for the day and a virtual event in the evening. If you wish to attend all of these events, this ticket bundle is the best option!

Guided Tour: A Regency Christmas
Times: 9am – 10am

Austen Salon
Times: 10.30 – 11.30

Talk: Jane Austen’s Life and Legacy
Times: 12pm – 1pm

Talk: 250 years that made Jane Austen
Times: 2pm – 3pm

Virtual Talk: The Words of Regency Dress
Times: 8pm – 9pm (and access to recording for one month)

Details:
Date: Sunday 14 December
Times: 9am – 9pm (House closes at 5pm)
Location: This event is at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us
Tickets: £70

 Tickets for this event include House entry for this day only.

☕ This event includes refreshments, please let us know on booking if you have any dietary requirements.

🎉 This event is part of our Jane Austen Birthday Celebration, running from 12 – 16 December 2025

Join the Jane Austen’s House team of Obstinate Headstrong Girls for an intimate salon, discussing all things Austen!

Over an elegant repast of tea and cake, we will discuss our favourite scenes, characters and moments from Jane Austen’s novels, and lead a discussion on everything from long engagements and Gothic novels to white soup, ugly bonnets and strawberry-picking.

This is a glorious chance to meet like-minded Austen aficionados, and to indulge in a delightful discussion of our favourite authoress!

Details:
Date: Sunday 14 December
Time: 10.30 – 11.30
Location: This event takes place at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us
Tickets: £19.50

 Tickets for this event include House entry for this day only.

☕ This event includes refreshments, please let us know on booking if you have any dietary requirements.

🎉 This event is part of our Jane Austen Birthday Celebration, running from 12 – 16 December 2025

In this fascinating talk we’ll examine Jane’s life story in Hampshire – from her happy childhood in Steventon to the difficult years spent living in Bath and Southampton, the move here to Chawton, where her genius could finally flourish, and her final move to be near her doctor in Winchester.

We’ll share details of Jane’s writing life – from her wild teenage stories to her mature adult novels, inspirations and reading material. We’ll look at her relationships with publishers, her self-knowledge and belief in her work, and her extraordinary legacy.

Details:
Date: Sunday 14 December
Time: 12pm – 1pm
Location: This event will take place at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us.
Tickets: £15

House entry is not included with this event ticket. If you wish to explore the House, please book a separate admission ticket or use your Annual Pass.

🎉 This event is part of our Jane Austen Birthday Celebration, running from 12 – 16 December 2025

* SOLD OUT*

250 years that made Jane Austen (by a partial and ignorant historian…)

Join us on a journey back through time as we visit some of the historic events that informed Jane Austen’s world view, shaped the society she lived in, and made her the novelist we so admire.

In this fully illustrated talk, our Director Lizzie Dunford will take us back in time to explore the seismic political, religious, and social changes that shaped the world that Jane Austen was born into in 1775. From the Mary Queen of Scots to the South Sea bubble and beyond, we will explore ten key events that shaped both the writer and her world.

Details:
Date: Sunday 14 December
Time: 2pm – 3pm
Location: This event will take place at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us.
Tickets: £15

House entry is not included with this event ticket. If you wish to explore the House, please book a separate admission ticket or use your Annual Pass.

🎉 This event is part of our Jane Austen Birthday Celebration, running from 12 – 16 December 2025

How did Jane Austen describe clothing? How did that relate to how her contemporaries described clothing? How did those descriptions map onto the garments and accessories people were actually wearing? And how, now, can we understand relationships between the written word and worn dress in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries?

Drawing on research for her new book A Guide To Regency Dress: From Corsets and Breeches to Bonnets and Muslin, fashion historian Hilary Davidson looks at the words of fashion in use during Jane Austen’s adult life and their slippery associations with actual garments. Words commonly used now to describe Regency dress such as ‘bonnet’, ‘Spencer’, ‘chemisette’, or ‘shirt’ had multiple meanings and interpretations for their original wearers. Looking at the complexities of fashion through words – the medium in which Austen excelled – helps close the gaps between what we can now read about fashion, and how those words connected with historical clothes.

Hilary Davidson is a dress, textiles and fashion historian and curator. Her work encompasses making and knowing, things and theory, with an extraordinary understanding of how historic clothing objects come to be and how they function in culture.

Hilary has worked, lectured, broadcast and taught internationally across a huge range of expertise, and is currently Chair of the MA Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory Museum Practice at the Fashion Institute of Technology, New York.

Her publications include Dress in the Age of Jane Austen (2019) and Jane Austen’s Wardrobe (2023). Her new book,  A Guide to Regency Dress, will be published in October!

Details:
Date: Sunday 14 December
Time: 8pm – 9pm (GMT)
Location: This event will take place online. Join in from the comfort of your own home!
Tickets: £7

✉️ This event will take place on Zoom. Please provide a valid email address as you will be emailed a link to join the party in the run up to the event. 

💵 Please buy one ticket for each person attending.  All proceeds go towards the upkeep of the Museum. 

📹 This event will be recorded for ticket holders to watch again later. The recording will be available for up to three months.

🎉 This event is part of our Jane Austen Birthday Celebration, running from 12 – 16 December 2025

On the eve of Jane Austen’s 250th birthday, join us for a special tour of her beloved home.

~

Join us for a very special guided tour of Jane Austen’s House, walking in Jane Austen’s footsteps and discovering the house she knew and loved, whilst learning about her life here in Chawton and her extraordinary legacy.

On this fascinating tour, led by an expert guide, you’ll learn about Jane’s life here in Hampshire and discover precious objects from her life, including her tiny writing table, the topaz crosses that inspired Mansfield Park, and rare first editions of her novels. Hear stories about Jane’s writing life, and the publication and reception of her novels as we explore the rooms where they were written and revised, and where Jane read aloud from a published copy Pride and Prejudice for the very first time.

This unique tour of the House will also explore aspects of Jane Austen’s legacy, using objects from the collection to set the scene.

As part of a small group, you’ll enjoy exclusive access to Jane Austen’s House before it opens to the public, with plenty of time to chat and ask questions of our knowledgeable guide.

Details:
Date: Monday 15 December
Time: 9am – 10am
Location: This event will take place at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us.
Tickets: £19.50

❗ Please click through the calendar and select the correct date when booking this event.

✨ Capacity for this event will be kept very low to make it a truly special experience. 

 Tickets for this event include House entry for this day only.

🎉 This event is part of our Jane Austen Birthday Celebration, running from 12 – 16 December 2025

A Mindful Embroidery Workshop Inspired by Jane Austen (with a Contemporary Twist)
With Artist, Embroiderer & Researcher Helen Sill

Step into Jane Austen’s world through the calming art of hand embroidery in this unique 3-hour morning workshop. Drawing on the flowers, herbs, and words of Jane Austen’s home, you’ll blend historical techniques with modern textiles to create your own embroidered sampler.

 What You’ll Do:

• Stitch floral and herbal motifs inspired by the Regency cottage garden at Jane Austen’s House
• Incorporate quotes from her novels into your design
• Practice stitches like back, stem, satin, seed, split, and French knots
• Gain skills in fabric prep, thread choice, and finishing techniques
• Reflect, create, and unwind in a relaxed, mindful setting

Leave with a beautiful, in-progress piece—ready to finish as a botanical sampler, bag, journal insert, or wall hanging—with guidance and materials to continue at home.

 Why Join?

• A creative, calming connection to history
• A fresh take on Regency-era embroidery
• Led by Helen Sill, whose art and research bring Austen’s world to life through thread
• Open to all skill levels—materials included. Please bring a small basic sewing kit with embroidery scissors if you have one.

Discover the joy of stitching in Austen’s footsteps.

~

Helen Sill is an artist, researcher, tutor and textile traveller combining a love of drawing with textiles. She explores questions of identity through her art and stitch practice, creating images informed by drawings of her surroundings and connections between communities and cultures.

Helen is an Embroiderers’ Guild Graduate and Guild Scholar and recently completed a Masters Degree in Fine Art where her research interests were around making and community focusing on the rich textile traditions of Gujarat in North West India and the North East of England. Past commissions have included work for West Dean Gardens, the Petersfield Museum and being Artist in Resident at Chichester Festival Theatre. Her work is held in private and public collections. Her love of talking about and working with textiles is infectious and inspiring, and she teaches a range of hand stitch classes with recycling and upcycling at their core.

Details:
Date: Monday 15 December 2025
Time: 10.15am – 1.15pm
Location: This event is at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us
Tickets: £45

 This event includes refreshments, please let us know on booking if you have any dietary requirements.

 Tickets for this event include House entry for this day only. 

🎉 This event is part of our Jane Austen Birthday Celebration, running from 12 – 16 December 2025

On the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth, join us for a special tour of her beloved home.

~

Join us for a very special guided tour of Jane Austen’s House, walking in Jane Austen’s footsteps and discovering the house she knew and loved, whilst learning about her life here in Chawton and her extraordinary legacy.

On this fascinating tour, led by an expert guide, you’ll learn about Jane’s life here in Hampshire and discover precious objects from her life, including her tiny writing table, the topaz crosses that inspired Mansfield Park, and rare first editions of her novels. Hear stories about Jane’s writing life, and the publication and reception of her novels as we explore the rooms where they were written and revised, and where Jane read aloud from a published copy Pride and Prejudice for the very first time.

This unique tour of the House will also explore aspects of Jane Austen’s legacy, using objects from the collection to set the scene.

As part of a small group, you’ll enjoy exclusive access to Jane Austen’s House before it opens to the public, with plenty of time to chat and ask questions of our knowledgeable guide.

Details:
Date: Tuesday 16 December
Time: 9am – 10am
Location: This event will take place at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us.
Tickets: £19.50

Tickets: This event can only be booked as part of the Full Day Pass on 16 December. Find out more here

✨ Capacity for this event will be kept very low to make it a truly special experience. 

 Tickets for this event include House entry for this day only.

🎉 This event is part of our Jane Austen Birthday Celebration, running from 12 – 16 December 2025

Join us for a full day of talks and events, on Jane Austen’s 250^th Birthday!

This ticket includes two very special events here in Chawton on Tuesday 16 December, House entry for the day, and a virtual event in the evening. If you wish to attend all of these events, this ticket bundle is the best option!

Guided Tour: Jane Austen’s Life & Legacy
Times: 9am – 10am

Performance: ‘Yours Ever, Jane’
Times: 11.30 – 12.45

Jane Austen’s Virtual Birthday Party
Times: 8pm – 9.15pm

Details:
Date: Tuesday 16 December
Times: 9am – 9.15pm (House closes at 5pm)
Location: This event is at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us
Tickets: £40

 Tickets for this event include House entry for this day only.

🎉 This event is part of our Jane Austen Birthday Celebration, running from 12 – 16 December 2025

Tickets for Jane Austen’s Birthday on 16th December are now SOLD OUT. There is still availability on the days surrounding this special anniversary. Please pre-book your tickets and check availability before travelling.

On the very day of Jane Austen’s 250^th birthday, join us at her beloved home for a very special day of celebrations!

The House will be open for you to explore as usual, with some extra special twists!

Throughout the day, pop up talks and object interactions.

There is something special about walking through Jane Austen’s home in Regency dress.. on this special day, we do encourage you to wear your own historical dress if you have it, or to raid our extensive dressing up collection, if you so wish!

From 11am-3pm, visit our pop up Silhouette Salon to have your silhouette cut in a matter of moments by our resident artist, Silhouette Sarah, who will create intricate, one-off silhouette portraits of some lucky visitors in minutes, using nothing more than scissors & paper.

In the Historic Kitchen, try your hand at writing with a traditional pen and ink, and inscribe a birthday message to Jane in our special Birthday Book.

Finally, take home a unique memento to remember the day!

Make your visit even more special by joining one of our special events (booking essential):
9am – Guided Tour: Jane Austen’s Life & Legacy
11.30am and 2.15pm – Performance: Yours Ever, Jane
5pm: Guide Tour: Jane Austen’s Life & Legacy
8pm – Jane Austen’s Virtual Birthday Party
.. or join everything (9am tour, 11.30am performance, 8pm virtual party) with our Full Day Pass!

Details:
Date: SOLD OUT – Tuesday 16 December 2025
Time: 10am – 5pm (last entry 4pm)
Location: This event will take place at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us.
Tickets: Free with House admission – book general admission here – please make sure you select 16 December!

 Tickets for this event include House entry for this day only. 

🎉 This event is part of our Jane Austen Birthday Celebration, running from 12 – 16 December 2025

On the 250^th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth, join us for a delectable performance in the grounds of the House where she lived and wrote.

Created and performed by actress Sarah Finch, and accompanied by a live musician, this lively two-act play uses words, music and dance to weave a dramatic tapestry from Jane Austen’s life stories, her surviving letters and her most beloved novel Pride and Prejudice.

The performance is imbued with Jane Austen’s sharp wit and sense of fun, her keen observations and obsession with anonymity. It brings her inimitable characters to life, from the pompous Reverend Collins to the infinitely flappable Mrs Bennet, the most noble Lady Catherine de Bourgh, and of course her delightful heroine, Elizabeth.

Sarah played Jane Austen for the BBC adaptation of Fay Weldon’s book Letters to Alice which was filmed in Jane Austen’s House in 1984.

Details:
Date: Tuesday 16 December
Performance times: 11.30am-12.45pm / 2.15pm-3.30pm
Location: This event takes place at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us
Tickets: £19.50

House entry is not included with this event ticket. If you wish to explore the House, please book a separate admission ticket or use your Annual Pass.

🎉 This event is part of our Jane Austen Birthday Celebration, running from 12 – 16 December 2025

On the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth, join us for a special tour of her beloved home.

~

Join us for a very special guided tour of Jane Austen’s House, walking in Jane Austen’s footsteps and discovering the house she knew and loved, whilst learning about her life here in Chawton and her extraordinary legacy.

On this fascinating tour, led by an expert guide, you’ll learn about Jane’s life here in Hampshire and discover precious objects from her life, including her tiny writing table, the topaz crosses that inspired Mansfield Park, and rare first editions of her novels. Hear stories about Jane’s writing life, and the publication and reception of her novels as we explore the rooms where they were written and revised, and where Jane read aloud from a published copy Pride and Prejudice for the very first time.

This unique tour of the House will also explore aspects of Jane Austen’s legacy, using objects from the collection to set the scene.

As part of a small group, you’ll enjoy exclusive access to Jane Austen’s House when it has closed for the day, with plenty of time to chat and ask questions of our knowledgeable guide.

Details:
Date: Tuesday 16 December
Time: 5pm – 6pm OR 5.30pm – 6.30pm
Location: This event will take place at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us.
Tickets: £19.50

❗ Please click through the calendar and select the correct date when booking this event.

 Capacity for each tour will be kept low to allow for the best possible experience. 

 The tour will begin promptly.  Please make sure you arrive in good time to join the group. Latecomers may not be admitted.

🎉 This event is part of our Jane Austen Birthday Celebration, running from 12 – 16 December 2025

Our virtual birthday party has quickly become a much-loved annual tradition!

This year you can again join us online for our annual fundraiser, along with fans from across the globe, for a brilliant and joyful celebration on the 250^th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth.

Party guests will be treated to fascinating talks, lively readings and all sorts of fun and games in the spirit of Jane Austen and her family. Featuring some very special guests and lots of audience interaction!

This year we will be joined by a host of special guests: academic and author John Mullan, writer and rare book dealer Rebecca Romney, screenwriter Deborah Moggach (Pride and Prejudice, 2005), V&A Performance Curator Harriet Reed, legal expert Nichola McNulty and award-winning poet Robert Seatter. With performances by acclaimed actress Tamzin Merchant (Pride and Prejudice, 2005) and female-led theatre company Shake-Scene, and live music by Penelope Appleyard and Jonathan Delbridge of The Little Song Party.

Regency dress strongly encouraged – we love to see your elegant attire!

Details:
Date: Tuesday 16 December 2025
Time: 8pm – 9.15pm (GMT)
Location: This event will take place online. Join in from the comfort of your own home!
Tickets: £10

The Virtual Birthday Party is part of our annual fundraising to support the work of Jane Austen’s House. By attending, you are a part of the story of this special place.

✉️ This event will take place on Zoom. Please provide a valid email address, as you will be emailed a link to join the party in the run up to the event. 

💵 Please buy one ticket for each person attending.  All proceeds go towards the upkeep of the Museum. 

🎫 When purchasing your ticket, you will see an optional donation to Jane’s Fund, a fund set up to help restore and protect Jane Austen’s precious home. This donation is entirely optional but we hugely appreciate any support we receive. Thank you! 

📹 This event will be recorded for ticket holders to watch again later. The recording will be available for up to three months.

🎉 This event is part of our Jane Austen Birthday Celebration, running from 12 – 16 December 2025

Join us for a morning of your own sewing, knitting or embroidery in a friendly, relaxed atmosphere. Whether you are a beginner or an expert, this session is open to all. 

Bring along your own project or dive into our work basket and help us with the museum’s mending.  

This session will take place in the cosy Learning Centre tucked behind Jane Austen’s House. Please note that the House will be closed so House entry will not be possible on this day.

We’ll provide fortifying tea and coffee to keep you going! 

Bring along your work in progress or start something new! 

Details:
Date: Tuesday 13 January
Time: 11am – 1pm
Location: This event will take place at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us.
Tickets: Free but pre-booking essential.

❗ Please click through the calendar and select the correct date when booking this event.

🎫 This event is free but pre-booking is essential. Please note that the House will be closed so House entry will not be possible on this day.

Join Jane Austen’s House for a live, online event on Blue Monday. With the world increasingly in turmoil, we’ll be gathering online for a free event that brings our wonderful community of writers, readers and thinkers together online.

Bring your notebook or laptop, bring tea or coffee, draw the curtains against the night or throw them open to a new day – wherever you are in the world, join us to sit with friends and like-minded Austen fans for an hour of gentle, simple creativity.

As you join, we’ll offer you entry into one of two groups – you can commit to one of them for the full session or feel free to move between them and enjoy them both!

Journaling – in this group, led by our Director Lizzie Dunford, will be a session of simple, self-reflective journaling. Write whatever you want – there’s no need to share or discuss. Just soak up the community atmosphere and the support from other lovers of great literature.

Pencil Calligraphy – this group will be led by fellow Austen lover and creative calligrapher Laura Edralin of Laura Letters Life. Discover the quiet joy of pencil calligraphy. In this session, we’ll explore how mindful mindful mark-making, letterforms, and finding your creative flow, can calm the mind, steady the breath and bring a sense of presence to your day. All you need is a pencil and paper — and a little time just for you. Perfect for beginners and seasoned creatives alike.

Tickets for this event are free but booking is essential!

Details:
Date: Monday 19 January 2026
Time: 8pm – 9.15pm GMT
Location: This event will take place online. Join us from the comfort of your own home! 
Tickets: Free

 This event will take place on Zoom. Please provide a valid email address, as you will be emailed a link to join the tour in the run up to the event. 

Timings are given in UK time (GMT) – please do check what the event time is in your territory, to ensure you log in at the right time. 

 Ticket sales will close at 5.00pm (UK Time) on the day of the event.  

On the morning of Pride and Prejudice Day, join us for a magical tour exploring one of the best-loved novels of all time…

This unique tour of the House will reveal new aspects of Jane Austen’s beloved novel Pride and Prejudice, told by an expert guide, using the House itself and objects from the collection to set the scene. Hear stories about the inspiration, publication and reception of Pride and Prejudice as we explore the rooms where it was revised for publication and where Jane read aloud from her first published copy.

As part of a small group, enjoy exclusive access to Jane Austen’s House before it opens to the public, with plenty of time to chat and ask questions of our knowledgeable guide.

DETAILS:
Date: Saturday 24 January 2026
Time: 9am – 10am
Location: This event takes place at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us
Tickets: This event is now fully booked

👪 Capacity for each tour will be kept low in order to allow for the best possible experience. 

⏰ This tour will begin promptly.  Please make sure you arrive in good time to join the group. Latecomers may not be admitted.

📖 This event is part of our Pride and Prejudice Festival, 24-28 January 2026.

Join us for a full day of talks and events, on the first day of our Pride and Prejudice Festival!

This ticket includes three very special events here in Chawton on Saturday 24 January, and House entry for the day. If you wish to attend all of these events, this ticket bundle is the best option!

House tour: Pride and Prejudice 
Times: 9am – 10am

Talk: Introducing Mrs Collins by Rachel Parris
Times: 11am – 12pm

Rebel Readings
Times: 1.30pm – 2.30pm

Details:
Date: Saturday 24 January 2026
Times: 9am – 2.30pm (House access until 5pm)
Location: This event is at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us
Tickets: £65

 Tickets for this event include House entry for this day only.

🎁 Ticket price includes a signed hardback copy of ‘Introducing Mrs Collins’ by Rachel Parris

📖 This event is part of our Pride and Prejudice Festival, 24-28 January 2026.

Join inimitable comedian and author Rachel Parris for an exclusive event, discussing some of the overlooked characters in Jane Austen’s novels – starting with Charlotte Lucas who has finally become the heroine of her own story in Rachel’s brilliant new book Introducing Mrs Collins.

Rachel will lead a lively discussion about Charlotte’s story and other favourite secondary characters who deserve to have their stories told! She’ll also talk about how she came to write Introducing Mrs Collins and her love for Jane Austen’s works, which led to her co-creating the viral comedy improv show Austentatious – and invite audience questions and discussion!

Included in the event ticket is a signed copy of Introducing Mrs Collins. A tale of love, loss and second chances, this brilliant new novel is for anyone who wondered if there was more to the sensible character we meet in Pride and Prejudice. It is the story of a woman who had written herself out of her own life, only to learn it is never too late to find your own happy ending.

Rachel Parris is a BAFTA-nominated comedian, best known for her viral segments on The Mash Report which have had over 100 million views. She has appeared on Live At Apollo, Mock the Week, Q.I. and Would I Lie To You, and can regularly be heard on BBC Radio 4 shows The Now Show, The News Quiz and I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue. As a touring comic she performs musical comedy and standup through the UK and she guests with the Comedy Store Players.

Rachel is a founder-member of Austentatious, the hit improvised Jane Austen comedy show, and she also created “Austensibly Feminist” for Radio 4.

Details:
Date: Saturday 24 January 2026
Times: 11am – 12pm
Location: This event is at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us
Tickets: £35
This event is also available as part our Full Day Pass – if you want to attend all the events on this day, this is the best option!

🎁 Ticket price includes a signed hardback copy of ‘Introducing Mrs Collins’ by Rachel Parris

📖 This event is part of our Pride and Prejudice Festival, 24-28 January 2026.

Join a free pop up talk about the history of Pride and Prejudice on stage and screen – from the first professional stage adaptations in the 1920s and ’30s, right up to the present day.

This talk is linked to our 2026 exhibition Staging Pride and Prejudice – after the talk, pop into the Courtyard Gallery to see the exhibition!

Details:
Date: Saturday 24 – Wednesday 28 January 2026
Time: 1pm daily
Location: This event will take place at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us.

🎫  No event ticket required, this event is free with House entry.

❗Please select the correct date and time slot when booking your tickets to enjoy this event.

🎉  This event is part of our Pride and Prejudice Festival, 24-28 January 2026

Jane Austen was a wide and voracious reader all her life, enjoying both pulp fiction and high-end literature alike.

Many of the books she most enjoyed were by women who were both fashionable and popular in their day, but who are largely overlooked today.

In this lively session, actors Hollie Hales and Charlotte Warner will present readings by some of these inspiring women – from Frances Burney and Maria Edgeworth to Charlotte Smith and Ann Radcliffe.

Through these works we’ll enjoy some of the works that inspired Jane’s own writing, and her literary journey.

After the performance, visit our exhibition ‘Jane Austen and the Art of Writing’ to see some of the works on display.

Details: 
Date: Saturday 24 January 2026
Performance times: 1.30pm – 2.30pm OR 3.15pm – 4.15pm
Location: This event is at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us
Tickets: £19.50
This event is also available as part our Full Day Pass – if you want to attend all the events on this day, this is the best option!

💐 This event is part of our Pride and Prejudice Festival, 24-28 January 2026

*SOLD OUT* Join journalist and broadcaster Remona Aly for an intimate salon, discussing all things Pride and Prejudice!

Over tea and cake, Remona will share her own personal journey with the classic, highlighting some of her favourite scenes, characters and moments from the novel, and will invite others to share their own love affair with the novel and what Austen’s world means for them. Enjoy a conversation on everything from country walks and obnoxious proposals to smelling salts and scandalous elopements!

Image taken from Remona’s Pride and Prejudice feature in The Guardian. Photographer: Sarah Lee 

Remona Aly is a journalist and broadcaster with a focus on faith, lifestyle and identity. She writes for The Guardian, is a resident Pause for Thought contributor on BBC Radio 2 on the Scott Mills Breakfast Show, and presented BBC Radio 4’s Something Understood. She recently began reporting for BBC One’s Sunday Morning Live, and also presents podcasts across various platforms.

Details:
Date: Sunday 25 January 2026
Times: 10am – 11am
Location: This event is at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us
Tickets: £19.50
This event is available as part our Full Day Pass 

📖 This event is part of our Pride and Prejudice Festival, 24-28 January 2026

Join us for a full day of talks and events, on the second day of our Pride and Prejudice Festival!

This ticket includes four very special events here in Chawton on Sunday 25 January, and House entry for the day. If you wish to attend all of these events, this ticket bundle is the best option!

Pride and Prejudice Salon
Times: 10am – 11am

Talk: The Worlds of Jane Austen
Times: 12pm – 1pm

Talk: The Fee Tail and Female Fury in Austen’s Legal World
Times: 2pm – 3pm

A Celebration of Pride and Prejudice in Objects & Music
Times: 4pm – 6pm

Details:
Date: Sunday 25 January 2026
Times: 10am – 6pm
Location: This event is at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us
Tickets: £115

 Tickets for this event include House entry for this day only.

📖 This event is part of our Pride and Prejudice Festival, 24-28 January 2026.

Join bestselling author Helena Kelly for a delightful dip into her new book, The Worlds of Jane Austen – a lively and accessible guide that explores the people, politics and places that shaped Jane Austen’s life and work.

In this lively talk, Helena steps away from the quiet world of country houses and tea parties that Jane Austen is often associated with to reveal stories of revolution, war and major social change that she lived through, and that can be seen in her sharp, observant fiction.

Helena Kelly holds a doctorate in English Literature from the University of Oxford, where she was most recently a Visiting Scholar at the Oxford Centre for Life Writing at Wolfson College. She has also taught at the university. In addition to numerous academic pieces, she is the author of Jane Austen, the Secret Radical and The Life and Lies of Charles Dickens, making her an accessible and authoritative guide on Austen scholarship. Her writing has been hailed as ‘sublime’ (the Observer), ‘unimpeachable’ and ‘energizing’ (The New York Times), and ‘dazzling’ (The New Yorker).

Details:
Date: Sunday 25 January 2026
Time: 12pm – 1pm
Location: This event will take place at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us.
Tickets: £15
This event is also available as part our Full Day Pass – if you want to attend all the events on this day, this is the best option!

📖 This event is part of our Pride and Prejudice Festival, 24-28 January 2026

The Fee Tail and Female Fury in Austen’s Legal World. Unravel the legal knots in Austen’s drawing rooms! Was Jane Austen simply penning romantic fairytales, or was she subtly wielding the sharp quill of a proto-feminist legal mind? Join us for a fascinating exploration into the oppressive laws governing women’s property rights in Georgian and Regency England. Discover how Austen, with her intelligent grasp of intricate legal concepts like the dreaded fee tail, cleverly embedded a quiet but powerful battle cry for women’s rights within the fabric of her most beloved novels.

Nichola McNulty is a Senior Lecturer in Law at Bath Spa University, specializing in Land and Property Law. Her research delves into the compelling intersections of law, literature, and the humanities, with a particular focus on Jane Austen’s work. Drawing on her expertise as a legal academic, Nichola offers a unique interdisciplinary perspective on law and literature. She is especially interested in Austen’s legal knowledge and engagement with legal concepts, particularly the complexities of entailment, as depicted in her novels. Her research also examines Austen’s connection to and portrayal of Bath.

Details:
Date: Sunday 25 January 2026
Time: 2pm – 3pm
Location: This event will take place at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us.
Tickets: £15
This event is also available as part our Full Day Pass – if you want to attend all the events on this day, this is the best option!

This event is part of our Pride and Prejudice Festival, 24-28 January 2026

A highlight of our Pride and Prejudice Festival, we are delighted to present a very special evening of Jane Austen and music…

We’ll begin with warming drinks in the Historic Kitchen, where we will raise a glass to our favourite authoress!

Moving into the House, we’ll examine a number of very special objects from the museum collection up close, under the expert guidance of our collections team. Gather round to see one of Jane’s handwritten music books up close, along with printed music books owned by the Austen family and a first edition of Pride and Prejudice, under the expert guidance of our collections team.

We’ll then move into the Drawing Room, where Jane herself practiced the piano each morning, for an intimate concert performed by acclaimed musical duo The Little Song Party (soprano Penelope Appleyard and pianist Jonathan Delbridge).

‘A Musical Kind of Little Wilderness’

Join Penelope and Jonathan for a musical jaunt on the wild side, as they explore Jane Austen’s use of the outside world in her work, and her apparent preference for a little ‘wilderness’ in landscape, music and literature, particularly in Pride & Prejudice! Seamlessly blending scholarship with entertainment, this performance will celebrate domestic music of the Regency and beyond, with some of Jane’s favourite songs, country dances, themes from TV/film and of course, for Burns Night, some Robbie Burns!

Penelope Appleyard has performed at prestigious venues internationally as both soloist and ensemble singer, ensembles including Apollo5, the Taverner Consort, the Monteverdi Choir, The New London Consort, The Academy of Ancient Music, The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Wiener Akademie, Arcangelo, Armonico Consort, Ex Cathedra and the Royal Shakespeare Company, among others, and appears on numerous recordings. Operatic roles have included Cupid (Venus and Adonis) Dorinda (The Tempest) Shepherdess and Siren (King Arthur) Bonvica (Bonduca) Pallas (Judgement of Paris) Second Woman (Dido and Aeneas) Mopsa (Fairy Queen) and Belinda (Dido and Aeneas). Solo concert work has included Messiah with the Academy of Ancient Music, Bach’s B minor Mass at the Bologna Festival, Arne’s Alfred with Steven Devine, Monteverdi Vespers with Laurence Cummings, King Arthur for the Brighton Early Music Festival and Messiah as a Nevill Holt Young Artist.

“The lovely soprano voice of Penelope Appleyard” – The Classical Review

Jonathan Delbridge is well known for his exciting and varied concert programmes on both the piano and organ.  He is a versatile musician, performing major classical works, jazz standards and his own improvisations and likes to interact with the audience, giving background information to the pieces performed. Jonathan regularly performs at a wide range of small and large venues, from the Royal Albert Hall, and Birmingham Symphony Hall to Plymouth University and All Saints Church in his own village of Lopen, Somerset. He also has a beautifully restored 1814 Broadwood Square Piano which he uses to provide a unique concert experience in more intimate settings.

Details:
Date: Sunday 25 January 2026
Time: 4pm – 6pm
Location: This event will take place at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us.
Tickets: £75
This event is also available as part our Full Day Pass – if you want to attend all the events on this day, this is the best option!

📖 This event is part of our Pride and Prejudice Festival, 24-28 January 2026

“Do you prefer reading to cards?” said he; “that is rather singular.”
Pride and Prejudice

Join us for a peaceful morning reading in the beautiful grounds of Jane Austen’s House. No need to book – just drop in and make yourself comfortable for a quiet morning with your own book, or use the time to examine some of the works in our extensive reference library.

With reference books on Austen studies and all aspects of Georgian and Regency history, as well as an impressive collection of Austen novels in translation, there is plenty to enjoy!

We’ll be on hand to help you find what you need, and share works from our Special Collection if needed.

This session will take place in the cosy Learning Centre tucked behind Jane Austen’s House. We’ll provide tea and coffee to keep you going!

 Details:
Date: Monday 26 January 2026
Time: 10.30am – 1pm
Location: This event will take place at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us.
Tickets: Free with House admission

🎫 No event ticket required, this event is free with House entry.

❗ Please select the correct date and time slot when booking your general admission ticket to enjoy this event

💐 This event is part of our Pride and Prejudice Festival, 24-28 January 2026

Jane Austen and Charlotte Brontë lived decades apart and imagined very different heroines — yet for much or all of their lives, both were unmarried daughters and sisters, deeply embedded in the domestic worlds that helped shape their creativity. From sewing shirts for their brothers to stitching quilts with their sisters, they balanced creative ambition with the daily demands of sewing, caregiving, and domestic responsibility.

This fascinating talk by Eleanor Houghton explores how making, sewing, gifting, budgeting and writing sustained their families and supported their art. Drawing on letters, novels, and surviving garments, accessories and made objects, it reflects on how dress, feminine accomplishment, domestic labour, and familial duty helped shape two of the most enduring literary voices in English literature.

We are delighted to be partnering with the Brontë Parsonage Museum to produce this very special event!

Eleanor Houghton is a dress historian, writer and illustrator whose work explores clothing as a form of biography — a material record of lives shaped and remembered through dress. She examines all aspects of historical clothing, from construction and wear to symbolism and social meaning. Her artworks, inspired by the quilt on display at Jane Austen’s House, are part of the museum’s long-term exhibition. Her forthcoming book, Charlotte Brontë’s Life Through Clothes (Bloomsbury, February 2026), offers a richly detailed portrait of Brontë through the garments she wore, made, and imagined. Eleanor also works as a historical consultant for film and television, with credits including Frances O’Connor’s Emily and BBC’s Gentleman Jack, and continues to advise on upcoming period productions.

Details:
Date: Monday 26 January 2026
Time: 8pm – 9pm GMT
Location: This event will take place online. Join us from the comfort of your own home!
Tickets: £7
This event is also available as part our Virtual Festival Pass – if you want to attend all the events on this day, this is the best option!

This event take place on Zoom. Please provide a valid email address, as you will be emailed a link to join in the run up to each event. 

 If you are joining as a group or household, please buy one ticket for each person attending.  All proceeds go towards the upkeep of the Museum. 

 This event will be recorded so you can watch again later. All ticket-holders will be emailed a link to the recording after the event. The recording will be accessible for one month.

Timings are given in UK time (GMT) – please do check what the event time is in your territory, to ensure you log in at the right time.

💐 This event is part of our Pride and Prejudice Festival, 24-28 January 2026

Join us for three virtual events, and make the most of our beloved annual Pride and Prejudice Festival from wherever you are in the world!

This ticket includes three very special events, all of which will be delivered online for you to enjoy from the comfort of your own home.  If you wish to attend all of these events, this ticket bundle is the best option!

Virtual Talk: Lives in the Making: Jane Austen and Charlotte Brontë
Date: Monday 26 January
Times: 8pm – 9pm

Virtual Performance: Pride and Prejudice by Shake-Scene
Date: Tuesday 27 January
Times: 8pm – 9pm

Virtual Talk: Screenwriting Pride and Prejudice (2005)
Date: Wednesday 28 January
Times: 8pm – 9pm

Details:
Date: 26, 27, 28 January 2026
Time: 8pm – 9pm
Location: These events will all take place online. Join us from the comfort of your own home!
Tickets: £18

💐 This event is part of our Pride and Prejudice Festival, 24-28 January 2026

All events will take place on Zoom. Please provide a valid email address, as you will be emailed a link to join in the run up to each event. 

All events will be recorded so you can watch again later. All ticket-holders will be emailed a link to the recording after the event. The recording of each talk will be available for one month; the recording of the virtual play reading will be accessible for 48 hours.

 If you are joining as a group or household, please buy one ticket for each person attending.  All proceeds go towards the upkeep of the Museum. 

Timings are given in UK time (GMT) – please do check what the event time is in your territory, to ensure you log in at the right time.

In this exclusive session, examine a range of objects from the museum collection, relating to Pride and Prejudice.

This special event will showcase a range of treasures from the museum collection relating to Jane Austen’s most beloved novel, Pride and Prejudice. As part of a small group, you’ll have the chance to see a range of objects up close, and to learn from our collections team about their history, care and significance.

We’ll share a range of early illustrated editions, including Hugh Thomson’s gorgeous Peacock Edition of 1894, original artworks by Joan Hassall and CE Brock and Hugh Thomson’s printers’ proofs, before moving into the twentieth century with the first Penguin paperback of P&P, illustrated silver plaques and some garish pink covers from the 1970s.

We’ll discuss how different illustrations were made, printed and how they influenced each other, and how we care for them as part of the museum collection.

This event will be led by an expert on our collection who will guide you through Jane Austen’s most beloved novel.

The group will be kept small, so there will be plenty of opportunities to see objects up close, ask questions and discuss as we go along.

Details:
Date: Tuesday 27 January 2026
Time: 11am – 12.30pm
Location: This event is at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us
Tickets: £19.50

📖 This event is part of our Pride and Prejudice Festival, 23-28 January 2026

Join us for a quiet and inspiring creative writing session in the beautiful grounds of Jane Austen’s House. No need to book – just drop in and write!   

This session will take place in the cosy Learning Centre tucked behind Jane Austen’s House. We’ll provide a warm, quiet space in which to write, pens and paper, access to our extensive reference library, and fortifying tea and coffee. 

Bring along your work in progress or start something new! 

Details:
Date: Tuesday 27 January 2026
Time: 2pm – 4pm
Location: This event will take place at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us.
Tickets: Free with House admission – book general admission here – please make sure you select 27 January!

🎫 No event ticket required, this event is free with House entry.

❗ Please select the correct date and time slot when booking your general admission ticket to enjoy this event

💐 This event is part of our Pride and Prejudice Festival, 24-28 January 2026

Pride & Prejudice: A Play on Jane Austen’s words by Joanna Norland, performed by Shake-Scene Theatre Company

We are delighted to host a lively online performance of Pride and Prejudice: A Play on Jane Austen’s Words, a 50-minute adaptation by Joanna Norland and performed by Shake-Scene Theatre Co.

With text derived almost entirely from the sparkling original, Norland has sculpted Austen’s episodic plot into a taut dramatic arc enlivened by modern stage conventions, such as overlapping scenes.

As a female-led company, Shake-Scene embraces diverse, inclusive casting, which we meld with our traditional rehearsal methods to create a dynamic fusion of best practices, old and new.

Joanna Norland: Shake-Scene Theatre’s associate playwright, Joanna Norland, is the author of Lizzy, Darcy and Jane, Mothers Have Nine Lives and Cycle, which have been produced off Broadway, NY, in London, and throughout the US, the UK, Australia and Africa.

Joanna is an East Sussex-based writing coach, working independently and for Starcroft Farm Cabins writing retreats. She has a JD from Yale Law School, an M.Phil in history and philosophy of science from King’s College Cambridge, and a BA in English and History from Brown University.

Shake-Scene Theatre Company: Founded in 2017 by Linda Mathis, Valentina Vinci and Lizzie Conrad Hughes, Shake-Scene has built a reputation for vibrant productions that combine traditional rehearsal practices with bold interpretations and inclusive, gender- and race-blind casting. Shake-Scene have performed Shakespeare’s entire First Folio on stage and online, including mini residencies at Shakespeare North Playhouse and appearances at Shakespeare North Playhouse, Prescot, Trinity Theatre, Tunbridge Wells and Cockpit Theatre, London. They hold monthly online performances, featuring an international cast, bringing Shakespeare’s wit and depth to audiences throughout the world.

Shake-Scene remains passionately committed to performing the works of Shakespeare but excitingly our Winter 2025/6 season sees us add another string to our bow with the launch of Shake-Scene Classics. After focusing on the Bard for nearly a decade, Shake-Scene Classics will produce other works of the British literary canon, beginning with Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, adapted by our associate playwright, Joanna Norland.

Details:
Date: Tuesday 27 January 2026
Time: 8pm – 9pm GMT
Location: This event will take place online. Join us from the comfort of your own home!
Tickets: £7
This event is also available as part our Virtual Festival Pass – if you want to attend all the events on this day, this is the best option!

 This event take place on Zoom. Please provide a valid email address, as you will be emailed a link to join in the run up to each event. 

 If you are joining as a group or household, please buy one ticket for each person attending.  All proceeds go towards the upkeep of the Museum. 

This event will be recorded so you can watch again later. All ticket-holders will be emailed a link to the recording after the event. The recording will be accessible for 48 hours.

 Timings are given in UK time (GMT) – please do check what the event time is in your territory, to ensure you log in at the right time.

💐 This event is part of our Pride and Prejudice Festival, 24-28 January 2026

On the morning of Pride and Prejudice Day, join us for a magical tour exploring one of the best-loved novels of all time…

This unique tour of the House will reveal new aspects of Jane Austen’s beloved novel Pride and Prejudice, told by an expert guide, using the House itself and objects from the collection to set the scene. Hear stories about the inspiration, publication and reception of Pride and Prejudice as we explore the rooms where it was revised for publication and where Jane read aloud from her first published copy.

As part of a small group, enjoy exclusive access to Jane Austen’s House before it opens to the public, with plenty of time to chat and ask questions of our knowledgeable guide.

DETAILS:
Date: Wednesday 28 January 2026
Time: 9am – 10am
Location: This event takes place at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us
Tickets: £19.50

👪 Capacity for each tour will be kept low in order to allow for the best possible experience. 

⏰ This tour will begin promptly. Please make sure you arrive in good time to join the group. Latecomers may not be admitted.

📖 This event is part of our Pride and Prejudice Festival, 24-28 January 2026.

On Pride and Prejudice Day take a deep-dive into the extraordinary journey of Jane Austen’s most beloved novel, from first draft to publication and beyond.

This talk follows the extraordinary journey of Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen’s most beloved novel, from first draft to publication and on through some of its most important and influential editions and incarnations. 

It draws on a wealth of glorious Pride and Prejudice material from the museum collection, from a rare first edition through to the first American edition, Hugh Thomson’s gorgeously illustrated “Peacock edition”, and on to the first paperback edition in the 1930s. It also dips into adaptations of the novel, from the first theatrical adaptations to the first film released in 1940, and BBC TV adaptations from 1938 – 1995.  

Along the way we’ll explore reactions to the novel through the ages, beginning with a letter Jane Austen wrote to her sister on the novel’s first publication, and take a look at the novel’s critical reception and legacy. 

Details:
Date: Wednesday 28 January 2026
Time: 11am – 12pm
Location: This event is at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us
Tickets: £15

📖 This event is part of our Pride and Prejudice Festival, 24-28 January 2026.

On Pride and Prejudice Day, join us for a delightful virtual talk with acclaimed novelist and screenwriter Deborah Moggach about her beloved film adaptation of Pride and Prejudice (2005) which starred Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen, and for which she was nominated for a BAFTA.

In this lively conversation, Deborah will discuss her prolific career as a writer, how she approached adapting Pride and Prejudice, her relationship with Austen’s novels and why their influence remains so potent and relevant after all this time.

Deborah will be in conversation with journalist and author Caroline Malcolm-Boulton.

Deborah Moggach has written 20 novels, including the best-selling Tulip Fever and The Carer. She has adapted many of her own works as TV dramas, as well as other novels such as Nancy Mitford’s Love in a Cold Climate and Anne Fine’s Goggle-Eyes, (Writers Guild Award for Best Adapted Screenplay). Her movie adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, starring Keira Knightley, was nominated for a BAFTA. She co-wrote the screenplay (with Tom Stoppard) of her novel Tulip Fever which was released as a film starring Alicia Vikander and Judi Dench. Her novel These Foolish Things was made into the hit movie The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel which she also adapted as a stage play starring Hayley Mills. She has an OBE for her services to literature and drama.

Details:
Date: Wednesday 28 January 2026
Time: 8pm – 9pm GMT
Location: This event will take place online. Join us from the comfort of your own home!
Tickets: £7
This event is also available as part our Virtual Festival Pass – if you want to attend all the events on this day, this is the best option!

💐 This event is part of our Pride and Prejudice Festival, 24-28 January 2026

This event take place on Zoom. Please provide a valid email address, as you will be emailed a link to join in the run up to each event. 

 This event will be recorded so you can watch again later. All ticket-holders will be emailed a link to the recording after the event. The recording will be accessible for one month.

 If you are joining as a group or household, please buy one ticket for each person attending.  All proceeds go towards the upkeep of the Museum. 

Timings are given in UK time (GMT) – please do check what the event time is in your territory, to ensure you log in at the right time.

Back by popular demand! In 2026 our Virtual Book Club will run monthly from February – November, covering all of Jane Austen’s novels as well as her teenage writings and letters. This special Annual Pass gives you the chance to join them all and be a part of our lively Bookclub community all year!

Join us for our Virtual Book Club – a lively online space in which we will discuss all things Jane Austen!

We’ll get the ball rolling with questions, ideas and provocations about the novel and then it’s over to you – as a group we’ll share thoughts, theories, favourites and best-bits.

Each month, grab a cup of tea and join us for an hour of blissful discussion with fellow Jane Austen fans around the world!

By purchasing an Annual Pass you will receive a ticket to all 10 events, and make a significant saving on the ticket price! (£7 per event if booked individually; £60 for all 10!)

Details:
Date: The first Tuesday of each month, from February – November (see full list of dates below)
Time: 7pm – 8pm (British time)
Location: This event will take place online. Join us from the comfort of your own home!
Tickets: £60

Virtual Bookclubs take place on Zoom. Please provide a valid email address, as you will be emailed a link to join in the run up to each event. 

 If you are joining as a group or household, please buy one ticket for each person attending.  All proceeds go towards the upkeep of the Museum. 

Timings are given in UK time (GMT/BST) – please do check what the event time is in your territory, to ensure you log in at the right time. 

📅 Full dates for the Annual Pass are: 3 Feb; 3 Mar; 7 Apr; 5 May; 2 Jun; 7 Jul; 4 Aug; 1 Sep; 6 Oct; 3 Nov 2026

Join a fascinating online talk by fine artist Stephanie Smart, about the creation of The Regency Wardrobe, on display throughout Jane Austen’s House until February 2026.

Stephanie will introduce the exhibition and discuss how each piece was designed and created – its inspiration, period and place, history and story. She will explain how she developed her use of paper as a medium for garment construction, with embroidered and applied decoration, and how her latest collection variously reinterprets the Regency era. By working closely with volunteers from The Regency Town House Heritage Centre, Hove, Stephanie has created a collection that’s broader in scope in terms of its relationship to a particular area, and historical era, than any she has worked on previously.

DETAILS:
Date: Wednesday 11 February 2026
Time: 8pm – 9pm (GMT)
Location: This event will take place online. Join us from the comfort of your own home!
Tickets: £7

This event take place on Zoom. Please provide a valid email address, as you will be emailed a link to join in the run up to each event. 

 If you are joining as a group or household, please buy one ticket for each person attending.  All proceeds go towards the upkeep of the Museum. 

Timings are given in UK time (GMT/BST) – please do check what the event time is in your territory, to ensure you log in at the right time.

Back by popular demand! In 2026 our Virtual Book Club will run monthly from February – November, covering all of Jane Austen’s novels as well as her teenage writings and letters. This special Annual Pass gives you the chance to join them all and be a part of our lively Bookclub community all year!

Join us for our Virtual Book Club – a lively online space in which we will discuss all things Jane Austen!

We’ll get the ball rolling with questions, ideas and provocations about the novel and then it’s over to you – as a group we’ll share thoughts, theories, favourites and best-bits.

Each month, grab a cup of tea and join us for an hour of blissful discussion with fellow Jane Austen fans around the world!

By purchasing an Annual Pass you will receive a ticket to all 10 events, and make a significant saving on the ticket price! (£7 per event if booked individually; £60 for all 10!)

Details:
Date: The first Tuesday of each month, from February – November (see full list of dates below)
Time: 7pm – 8pm (British time)
Location: This event will take place online. Join us from the comfort of your own home!
Tickets: £60

Virtual Bookclubs take place on Zoom. Please provide a valid email address, as you will be emailed a link to join in the run up to each event. 

 If you are joining as a group or household, please buy one ticket for each person attending.  All proceeds go towards the upkeep of the Museum. 

Timings are given in UK time (GMT/BST) – please do check what the event time is in your territory, to ensure you log in at the right time. 

📅 Full dates for the Annual Pass are: 3 Feb; 3 Mar; 7 Apr; 5 May; 2 Jun; 7 Jul; 4 Aug; 1 Sep; 6 Oct; 3 Nov 2026

Back by popular demand! In 2026 our Virtual Book Club will run monthly from February – November, covering all of Jane Austen’s novels as well as her teenage writings and letters. This special Annual Pass gives you the chance to join them all and be a part of our lively Bookclub community all year!

Join us for our Virtual Book Club – a lively online space in which we will discuss all things Jane Austen!

We’ll get the ball rolling with questions, ideas and provocations about the novel and then it’s over to you – as a group we’ll share thoughts, theories, favourites and best-bits.

Each month, grab a cup of tea and join us for an hour of blissful discussion with fellow Jane Austen fans around the world!

By purchasing an Annual Pass you will receive a ticket to all 10 events, and make a significant saving on the ticket price! (£7 per event if booked individually; £60 for all 10!)

Details:
Date: The first Tuesday of each month, from February – November (see full list of dates below)
Time: 7pm – 8pm (British time)
Location: This event will take place online. Join us from the comfort of your own home!
Tickets: £60

Virtual Bookclubs take place on Zoom. Please provide a valid email address, as you will be emailed a link to join in the run up to each event. 

 If you are joining as a group or household, please buy one ticket for each person attending.  All proceeds go towards the upkeep of the Museum. 

Timings are given in UK time (GMT/BST) – please do check what the event time is in your territory, to ensure you log in at the right time. 

📅 Full dates for the Annual Pass are: 3 Feb; 3 Mar; 7 Apr; 5 May; 2 Jun; 7 Jul; 4 Aug; 1 Sep; 6 Oct; 3 Nov 2026

Back by popular demand! In 2026 our Virtual Book Club will run monthly from February – November, covering all of Jane Austen’s novels as well as her teenage writings and letters. This special Annual Pass gives you the chance to join them all and be a part of our lively Bookclub community all year!

Join us for our Virtual Book Club – a lively online space in which we will discuss all things Jane Austen!

We’ll get the ball rolling with questions, ideas and provocations about the novel and then it’s over to you – as a group we’ll share thoughts, theories, favourites and best-bits.

Each month, grab a cup of tea and join us for an hour of blissful discussion with fellow Jane Austen fans around the world!

By purchasing an Annual Pass you will receive a ticket to all 10 events, and make a significant saving on the ticket price! (£7 per event if booked individually; £60 for all 10!)

Details:
Date: The first Tuesday of each month, from February – November (see full list of dates below)
Time: 7pm – 8pm (British time)
Location: This event will take place online. Join us from the comfort of your own home!
Tickets: £60

Virtual Bookclubs take place on Zoom. Please provide a valid email address, as you will be emailed a link to join in the run up to each event. 

 If you are joining as a group or household, please buy one ticket for each person attending.  All proceeds go towards the upkeep of the Museum. 

Timings are given in UK time (GMT/BST) – please do check what the event time is in your territory, to ensure you log in at the right time. 

📅 Full dates for the Annual Pass are: 3 Feb; 3 Mar; 7 Apr; 5 May; 2 Jun; 7 Jul; 4 Aug; 1 Sep; 6 Oct; 3 Nov 2026

Back by popular demand! In 2026 our Virtual Book Club will run monthly from February – November, covering all of Jane Austen’s novels as well as her teenage writings and letters. This special Annual Pass gives you the chance to join them all and be a part of our lively Bookclub community all year!

Join us for our Virtual Book Club – a lively online space in which we will discuss all things Jane Austen!

We’ll get the ball rolling with questions, ideas and provocations about the novel and then it’s over to you – as a group we’ll share thoughts, theories, favourites and best-bits.

Each month, grab a cup of tea and join us for an hour of blissful discussion with fellow Jane Austen fans around the world!

By purchasing an Annual Pass you will receive a ticket to all 10 events, and make a significant saving on the ticket price! (£7 per event if booked individually; £60 for all 10!)

Details:
Date: The first Tuesday of each month, from February – November (see full list of dates below)
Time: 7pm – 8pm (British time)
Location: This event will take place online. Join us from the comfort of your own home!
Tickets: £60

Virtual Bookclubs take place on Zoom. Please provide a valid email address, as you will be emailed a link to join in the run up to each event. 

 If you are joining as a group or household, please buy one ticket for each person attending.  All proceeds go towards the upkeep of the Museum. 

Timings are given in UK time (GMT/BST) – please do check what the event time is in your territory, to ensure you log in at the right time. 

📅 Full dates for the Annual Pass are: 3 Feb; 3 Mar; 7 Apr; 5 May; 2 Jun; 7 Jul; 4 Aug; 1 Sep; 6 Oct; 3 Nov 2026

Back by popular demand! In 2026 our Virtual Book Club will run monthly from February – November, covering all of Jane Austen’s novels as well as her teenage writings and letters. This special Annual Pass gives you the chance to join them all and be a part of our lively Bookclub community all year!

Join us for our Virtual Book Club – a lively online space in which we will discuss all things Jane Austen!

We’ll get the ball rolling with questions, ideas and provocations about the novel and then it’s over to you – as a group we’ll share thoughts, theories, favourites and best-bits.

Each month, grab a cup of tea and join us for an hour of blissful discussion with fellow Jane Austen fans around the world!

By purchasing an Annual Pass you will receive a ticket to all 10 events, and make a significant saving on the ticket price! (£7 per event if booked individually; £60 for all 10!)

Details:
Date: The first Tuesday of each month, from February – November (see full list of dates below)
Time: 7pm – 8pm (British time)
Location: This event will take place online. Join us from the comfort of your own home!
Tickets: £60

Virtual Bookclubs take place on Zoom. Please provide a valid email address, as you will be emailed a link to join in the run up to each event. 

 If you are joining as a group or household, please buy one ticket for each person attending.  All proceeds go towards the upkeep of the Museum. 

Timings are given in UK time (GMT/BST) – please do check what the event time is in your territory, to ensure you log in at the right time. 

📅 Full dates for the Annual Pass are: 3 Feb; 3 Mar; 7 Apr; 5 May; 2 Jun; 7 Jul; 4 Aug; 1 Sep; 6 Oct; 3 Nov 2026

Back by popular demand! In 2026 our Virtual Book Club will run monthly from February – November, covering all of Jane Austen’s novels as well as her teenage writings and letters. This special Annual Pass gives you the chance to join them all and be a part of our lively Bookclub community all year!

Join us for our Virtual Book Club – a lively online space in which we will discuss all things Jane Austen!

We’ll get the ball rolling with questions, ideas and provocations about the novel and then it’s over to you – as a group we’ll share thoughts, theories, favourites and best-bits.

Each month, grab a cup of tea and join us for an hour of blissful discussion with fellow Jane Austen fans around the world!

By purchasing an Annual Pass you will receive a ticket to all 10 events, and make a significant saving on the ticket price! (£7 per event if booked individually; £60 for all 10!)

Details:
Date: The first Tuesday of each month, from February – November (see full list of dates below)
Time: 7pm – 8pm (British time)
Location: This event will take place online. Join us from the comfort of your own home!
Tickets: £60

Virtual Bookclubs take place on Zoom. Please provide a valid email address, as you will be emailed a link to join in the run up to each event. 

 If you are joining as a group or household, please buy one ticket for each person attending.  All proceeds go towards the upkeep of the Museum. 

Timings are given in UK time (GMT/BST) – please do check what the event time is in your territory, to ensure you log in at the right time. 

📅 Full dates for the Annual Pass are: 3 Feb; 3 Mar; 7 Apr; 5 May; 2 Jun; 7 Jul; 4 Aug; 1 Sep; 6 Oct; 3 Nov 2026