Jane’s sister Cassandra was her dearest friend and companion throughout her life. Pretty and practical, she is often pictured as the more solemn of the two sisters, although Jane at least thought she was extremely funny. She was also a talented artist, and her portrait of Jane is a treasure of the National Portrait Gallery. In 2023, we are celebrating 250 years since Cassandra’s birth with a year-long programme of events.

To kick off this special year, join us for a unique virtual guided tour of Jane Austen’s House. In each room, discover objects, paintings and stories that reveal more about Jane’s beloved sister and her life here in Chawton.

Together, we’ll discover the rooms where Jane and Cassandra lived, and learn more about Cassandra’s life story. From her happy childhood in Steventon to the tragic death of her fiancé, followed by a life dedicated to family and friends, art, reading and charity work, we’ll get to know Cassandra through objects, portraits, stories and letters.

After Jane’s early death, Cassandra continued living in Chawton Cottage until her own death in 1845. Find out more about this time – the ways in which she fostered her sister’s legacy and preserved her memory, overseeing her will, the publication of her works, and the distribution and final destruction of her letters.

Details:

Date: Wednesday 22 March 2023

Time: 6pm – 7pm (GMT)

Location: This event will take place online. Join us from the comfort of your own home!

Tickets: £6.50

 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. 

 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.

🎨 This event is part of our ‘Year of Cassandra’, celebrating the life of Cassandra Austen, 1773 – 1845.

“Painting and writing have much to tell each other” – Virginia Woolf

Only 12% of the National Portrait Gallery’s paintings are by women. One of those is a portrait of Jane Austen, painted by her sister Cassandra whilst they were living here in Chawton.

These two creative sisters united the worlds of painting and writing, and in this poetry workshop you will do the same. You will borrow the techniques of artists like Cassandra to paint poems of your own, penning portraits and splashing colour over the page.

This Zoom workshop is suitable for beginners, and will have a running time of 90 minutes, including guided writing time. As well as being inspired by visual art, you will also have access to example poems to help inspire your writing.

About the tutor: Ellora Sutton is the Creative Engagement Officer at Jane Austen’s House as well as being a prize-winning poet. Her work has been published in The Poetry Review, Popshot Quarterly, The North, bath magg, Poetry News, and Poetry Birmingham Literary Journal, amongst others. Her latest pamphlet, antonyms for burial (Fourteen Poems), is the Poetry Book Society’s Spring 2023 Pamphlet Choice.

Feedback from Ellora’s previous workshops

“I loved it and it inspired me to try something new in safe space with other like-minded budding poets.”

“Thank you so much for being such a delightful, nurturing workshop facilitator, and for introducing us to such mind-blowing poems”

“I feel totally inspired. Poetry feels less out of reach now. Thank you.”

“Ellora made the workshop enjoyable, useful and inspiring.”

Details:

Date: Sunday 26 March

Time: 2pm – 3.30pm (GMT)

Location: This event will take place online. Join us from the comfort of your own home!

Tickets: £25; concessions (disabled people/young people under 26): £15

 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. 

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. This event takes place on the day that clocks go forward in the UK – please take extra care!

 This event is part of our ‘Year of Cassandra’, celebrating the life of Cassandra Austen, 1773 – 1845.

Back by popular demand! In 2023 our Virtual Book Club will run monthly from February – November, covering all of Jane Austen’s novels as well as her teenage works and letters. Bring your thoughts, ideas and observations… bring tea and quotes and questions… expect stimulating discussion and debate!

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

Our third session will focus on Jane Austen’s first published novel, Sense and Sensibility. 

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.

Whether you love the book, audiobook or a film or stage adaptation, join us to share your love of this internationally beloved story. Why does it matter to you? What have you learned from it? Which bits always make you cry? Which characters do you adore, admire or despise?

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

Details:

Date: Tuesday 4 April 2023

Time: 7pm – 8pm (GMT)

Location: This event will take place online. Join us from the comfort of your own home!

Tickets: £6.50 – or book the first three book clubs of the year for £18

 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. 

 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. 

Join us for a guided walk through of our beautiful virtual tour!

VISIT JANE AUSTEN’S HOUSE FROM THE COMFORT OF YOUR OWN HOME!

**Included in Forbes list of the World’s Best Virtual Tours!**

This exclusive online event, hosted by an expert guide from Jane Austen’s House, will use our beautiful virtual tour to show you around the House and outbuildings. As part of a small group, you will enjoy a guided walk through of our virtual tour with lots of opportunities to chat and to ask questions.

Details:

Date: 22 April

Time: 6-7pm (GMT)

Location: This event will take place online. Join us from the comfort of your own home!

Tickets: £6.50

Back by popular demand! In 2023 our Virtual Book Club will run monthly from February – November, covering all of Jane Austen’s novels as well as her teenage works and letters. Bring your thoughts, ideas and observations… bring tea and quotes and questions… expect stimulating discussion and debate!

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

Our fourth session will focus on Jane Austen’s most famous novel, Pride and Prejudice. 

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.

Whether you love the book, audiobook or a film or stage adaptation, join us to share your love of this internationally beloved story. Why does it matter to you? What have you learned from it? Which bits always make you cry? Which characters do you adore, admire or despise?

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

Details:

Date: Tuesday 2 May 2023

Time: 7pm – 8pm (GMT)

Location: This event will take place online. Join us from the comfort of your own home!

Tickets: £6.50 – or book the first three book clubs of the year for £18

 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. 

 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. 

Join us for a guided walk through of our beautiful virtual tour!

VISIT JANE AUSTEN’S HOUSE FROM THE COMFORT OF YOUR OWN HOME!

**Included in Forbes list of the World’s Best Virtual Tours!**

This exclusive online event, hosted by an expert guide from Jane Austen’s House, will use our beautiful virtual tour to show you around the House and outbuildings. As part of a small group, you will enjoy a guided walk through of our virtual tour with lots of opportunities to chat and to ask questions.

Details:

Date: 13 May

Time: 4-5pm (GMT)

Location: This event will take place online. Join us from the comfort of your own home!

Tickets: £6.50

Back by popular demand! In 2023 our Virtual Book Club will run monthly from February – November, covering all of Jane Austen’s novels as well as her teenage works and letters. Bring your thoughts, ideas and observations… bring tea and quotes and questions… expect stimulating discussion and debate!

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

Our fifth session will focus on Jane Austen’s third published novel, Mansfield Park. 

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.

Whether you love the book, audiobook or a film or stage adaptation, join us to share your love of this internationally beloved story. Why does it matter to you? What have you learned from it? Which bits always make you cry? Which characters do you adore, admire or despise?

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

Details:

Date: Tuesday 6 June 2023

Time: 7pm – 8pm (GMT)

Location: This event will take place online. Join us from the comfort of your own home!

Tickets: £6.50 – or book the first three book clubs of the year for £18

 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. 

 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 2023 our Virtual Book Club will run monthly from February – November, covering all of Jane Austen’s novels as well as her teenage works and letters. Bring your thoughts, ideas and observations… bring tea and quotes and questions… expect stimulating discussion and debate!

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

Our sixth session will focus on Jane Austen’s ‘perfect’ summertime novel, Emma. 

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.

Whether you love the book, audiobook or a film or stage adaptation, join us to share your love of this internationally beloved story. Why does it matter to you? What have you learned from it? Which bits always make you cry? Which characters do you adore, admire or despise?

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

Details:

Date: Tuesday 4 July 2023

Time: 7pm – 8pm (GMT)

Location: This event will take place online. Join us from the comfort of your own home!

Tickets: £6.50 – or book the first three book clubs of the year for £18

 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. 

 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.