About the Charity

Jane Austen's House is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (Reg No. 1156458).

Jane Austen’s House has been open to the public as a museum since 1949. In the late 1940s Mr T. Edward Carpenter, a London solicitor, read that members of the informal literary society that was to become the Jane Austen Society wanted to establish the house as a public museum and offered to take on the project. Mr Carpenter purchased the house in memory of his son, who had been killed in action in the Second World War and established a charity to own and run the museum.

A press cutting from the opening of Jane Austen's House

A place to explore, discover and be inspired

For over 70 years JAH has been running an inspiring learning and events programme, sharing our love of Jane Austen, and the unique experience of being in the very place she wrote her influential and globally beloved novels.

From schools workshops to candlelight tours, as well as a whole range of virtual events, there is something for everyone, not matter where you are in the world.

Find out more about our learning programme here.

Jane Austen’s House Today

Jane Austen’s House will celebrate its 75th anniversary in 2024, and Austen’s 250th birthday in 2025. JAH  is fully Accredited under the ACE scheme and operates according to the UK Museums Association’s Code of Ethics. It is a member of  various sector groups including the Association of Independent Museums (AIM), Tourism South East and the Association of Cultural Enterprises

A bonnet rests on the chair in the vibrant green wallpaper reproduced from the 1809 original.

An open door allows us to peak into the Dining Room, where Austen wrote her novels.

Our Charitable Objectives

The advancement of education and in particular the study of English Literature, especially the life and works of Jane Austen.  Activities in furtherance of this will include the maintenance of a museum for the public benefit in the house at Chawton, Hampshire that was Jane Austen’s home for the last eight years of her life.

 

 

Our Staff

Jane Austen’s House employs a team of 15 staff, at a FTE of 8. The team is hard working, dedicated and innovative, delivering above budget performance and creating exciting programming, interpretation and secondary spend offers. They are ambitious for the future of the charity, with a deep understanding of the collections and the significance of the House. True brand ambassadors, they have a genuine affection for Austen’s work, and a drive to communicate and promote her legacy.

Our Board of Trustees

Over the past two years we have successfully recruited  new trustees, bringing together a talented, experienced and diverse board with specialisms in museums, arts and heritage, learning, advertising, law and finance, that delivers considered and enriching strategic leadership for Jane Austen’s House.  2022 has been a handover year between new and existing board members, with a focus on developing strategy for the next three years.

 

 

Chair of Trustees: Isabel Hughes

Keith Harrison

Geoffrey Marsh

Isy Mead

Annabel Partridge

Louisa Price

Elizabeth Scott

Anne Young