Events

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. 

Join us for a very special tour of Jane Austen’s House… To celebrate the Watermill Theatre’s production of Mansfield Park that will be performed in the museum gardens later that day, this tour will follow the story of Jane Austen’s mature and serious third novel, showcasing objects that relate to it, including a special view of a rare first edition from 1814. We’ll also look at objects that inspired Mansfield Park, including the topaz crosses given to Jane and Cassandra by their brother Charles.

This event will be led by an expert on our collection, who will guide you through 200 years of Mansfield Park history and show you the rooms in which Jane Austen wrote the novel and from which it was published.

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

This special event will include welcome refreshments, an exclusive, private tour of the Museum as part of a small group, and the chance to see a first edition of Mansfield Park up close!

Details:
Date: Monday 12 June
Time: 4.30pm – 5.30pm
Location: This event starts from Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us
Tickets: £25

👫 Capacity for this event is limited to 10 people, to allow for the best possible experience. 

 The event will include a glass of wine or non-alcoholic alternative. Please let us know of any dietary requirements upon booking.

🎭 This event is followed by an outdoor performance of Mansfield Park, performed in the Museum gardens. If you wish to attend the performance, you can book tickets here. 

When young Fanny Price is sent to live with her wealthy cousins, she quickly grows from a timid child into a clever, witty young woman with a fine moral compass. At Mansfield Park, Fanny meets the frivolous Crawfords. They introduce her to a world of reckless flirtation, unrequited love, and decadence.

As their antics escalate, Fanny is led further astray until her uncle’s departure to visit his plantation in Antigua. Forced to confront the source of her family’s wealth and its true cost, Fanny must ask some difficult questions. Where does she belong? Will she ever find love? And what does it take to be the heroine of your own life?

In collaboration with Two Gents Productions, The Watermill brings this rousing take on Jane Austen’s well-known romance on tour, revealing a different perspective on a classic story.

The Watermill Theatre and Two Gents Co-Production
Adapted by Tonderai Munyevu and Arne Pohlmeier
From the novel by Jane Austen

Details:
Date: Mon 12 June
Time: 7pm (running time TBC)
Location: This event starts from Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us
Tickets: £15 for adults, £12.50 for 10 to 26 year olds

The garden will be open from 6pm. Please feel free to bring a picnic to enjoy in our beautiful gardens before the performance starts!

☔ The performance will take place outdoors, and will go ahead despite adverse weather if at all possible. It will only be cancelled in the event of very severe rain. Please wear suitable clothing for the weather – jumpers, raincoats and waterproof picnic rugs are all advisable!

🌿 The performance will take place on the lawn at Jane Austen’s House. Seating will not be provided. Please bring a picnic rug or folding chairs to sit on.

Please note, this event ticket does not include access to Jane Austen’s House. The House will be closed during the performance. If you wish to visit the House earlier in the day, we are running a Mansfield Park House Tour at 4.30pm.

Alton and Chawton’s annual Jane Austen Regency Week will be taking place between Saturday 17 and Sunday 25 June.  Read on to find out what’s on at Jane Austen’s House during the festival!

Please note: all tickets to our Regency Week events must be booked via Jane Austen Regency Week – see below for booking links. 

Waking Up The House Tour – Sunday 18 June, 9am and Thursday 22 June, 9am 

Join us for an exclusive glimpse behind the scenes, as Jane Austen’s House wakes up for the day.

In this exclusive, early-morning tour, we’ll be unlocking doors, opening shutters and letting sunshine into the darkened rooms. We’ll take a peep into the attic, dust away cobwebs, and check that everything is in order to start the day. Along the way, we’ll share secrets and stories of this extraordinary house through the ages.

After the tour, you’ll enjoy a light breakfast of tea and toast – just as Jane used to do!

Your ticket includes a House tour, followed by a light breakfast of toast, butter and preserves, and a choice of tea or coffee. Capacity for this event will be kept very low to make it a truly special experience.

Book tickets to Waking Up The House Tour – 18 June 

Book tickets to Waking Up The House Tour – 22 June 

Guided House Tour: Sense and Sensibility – Wednesday 21 June, 4.30pm 

Join us for a unique guided tour of Jane Austen’s House. Walking in Jane’s footsteps, you’ll discover the rooms where Sense & Sensibility was revised and learn about her inspirations for the novel, as well as seeing rare first editions.

Book tickets to Guided House Tour: Sense and Sensibility 

Guided House Tour: Pride and Prejudice – Saturday 24 June, 4pm 

Join us for a unique guided tour of Jane Austen’s House. Walking in Jane’s footsteps, you’ll discover the rooms where Pride and Prejudice was revised and learn about her inspirations for the novel, as well as seeing rare first editions.

Book tickets to Guided House Tour: Pride and Prejudice

Join sewing historian Dr Serena Dyer as she stitches a new gown. Home sewing was common practice in 18^th century Britain, and the Austen women were experienced needlewomen. Using sewing methods gleaned from the examination of garments from the 18^th and 19^th centuries, and wearing other recreated garments from the period, Serena recreates the dressmaking techniques and practices that clothed Austen and her family.

Details:
Date: Wednesday 21 June
Time: 1-3pm
Location: this event takes place at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us
Tickets: Free with House admission

Join us for a relaxed, summer evening view of Jane Austen’s House. Discover the house in which Jane Austen lived and wrote, lit by atmospheric candlelight. Walk in Jane’s footsteps and imagine her life here in Chawton. Afterwards, relax in the pretty cottage garden as the sun goes down.

Details:
Date: Friday 23 June
Time: 6 – 9pm (last entry at 8pm)
Location: this event takes place at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us
Tickets: adult admission £12.75, concessions available
Please make sure you select the correct date on the calendar!

‘I do not want any such pursuit to get me out of doors. The pleasure of walking and breathing fresh air is enough for me, and in fine weather I am out more than half my time. Mamma says I am never within.’

Northanger Abbey

~

This fun, relaxed guided walk will take you back in time, to discover the village Jane Austen knew and loved. Walk in Jane’s footsteps and learn about her love of nature, village life, houses and views she knew, and the importance of village life in shaping her writing.

Throughout the walk, short readings from Austen’s letters and novels will bring her world to life.

After your walk, why not explore the House itself or enjoy a well-earned cup of tea at Cassandra’s Cup, opposite the Museum? (Bookings must be made separately, visit Cassandra’s Cup website)

Details:

Date: Saturday 24 June

Time: 12pm – 1pm

Location: This event starts from Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us

Tickets: £16.50

 The guided walk will depart from Jane Austen’s House at 12pm promptly. Please make sure you arrive in good time to join the group.

 The walk is suitable for all abilities, but please wear sturdy, sensible footwear and bring a bottle of water and sun cream or an umbrella – depending on the weather!

 Please note, this event ticket does not include access to Jane Austen’s House. If you wish to visit the House before or after the guided walk, please ensure that you book tickets separately.

Join us for an inspiring online Teacher Open Evening!

Hear about our schools offer and enjoy taster sessions of our exclusive workshops, tours and activities which can be experienced here in Chawton or online from anywhere in the world! You will be able to immerse your students in the home where Jane Austen’s genius flourished and where she wrote, revised and had published all six of her globally beloved novels.

This event is aimed at teachers of KS3-5 (age 11-18) who want to deliver experiential English Language and Literature lessons.

Our unique offer, designed with schools for schools, will help students to:

• understand Jane Austen as one of the world’s most significant authors
• inspire students’ creativity through drama and writing
• explore the dynamic relationship between Jane Austen’s literary texts of the 19th century and the fascinating culture from which they emerged

Your class doesn’t need to be studying a Jane Austen novel to get a lot out of a trip to Chawton (onsite or online!) – our inspiring offer is the perfect way to transport children of all ages to Jane Austen’s authentic world, to expand students’ knowledge of cultural capital, and hopefully inspire them to join thousands of people who add Jane Austen to their personal reading list!

We want to share the fabulous experience your pupils could have with Jane Austen’s House, and to listen to your views and ideas.

Details:
Date: Tuesday 27 June
Time: 4pm – 5pm UK time (British Summertime)
Location: This event will take place online. Join us from the comfort of your home or classroom!
Tickets: Free

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. 

Join us for an exclusive, early-morning tour of the house Jane Austen knew and loved. In this exclusive, early-morning tour, we’ll be unlocking doors, opening shutters and letting sunshine into the darkened rooms. Join us for a curatorial journey as we dust, polish and check that everything is in order to start the day. Along the way, we’ll share secrets and stories of this extraordinary house through the ages.

After the tour, you’ll enjoy a light breakfast of tea and toast – just as Jane used to do!

Date: Friday 14 July

Time: 9am – 10.00am

Location: This event will take place at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us.

Tickets: £16.50

🫖 Your ticket includes a House tour, followed by a light breakfast of toast, butter and preserves, and a choice of tea or coffee. If you have any dietary requirements, please let us know after booking.

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

As part of our Jane Austen Anniversary Festival, marking the 206^th anniversary of her death, we’ll be creating a hand-tied bouquet made of handwritten letters to Jane, along with flowers from the garden, that we’ll deliver to her grave in Winchester Cathedral on 18 July.

Visit over the weekend to add your personal note to the bouquet – whether you wish to share your thoughts about her characters, reflections on your favourite novel, a story about how you find Jane inspiring or a favourite quote from her works. From heartfelt tributes to ‘important nothings’, we want to include them all!

Details:
Date: Friday 14 – Monday 17 July
Time: 10.00 – 4.30pm
Location: This event takes place at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us
Free with House entry

💐  This event is part of our Anniversary Weekend celebrating the life of Jane Austen, who died in Winchester on 18 July 1817.

‘I never in my life saw anything more elegant than their dresses.’
Pride & Prejudice

Join us for our popular annual Dress Up Day! On this special Saturday, we’ll be dressing up in our finest Regency outfits and we’d love you to join us!

It’s the perfect excuse to break out your favourite Regency regalia and pose, picnic or promenade at Jane Austen’s House and our pretty cottage garden. It’s a way to step back in time and get a sense of life in Regency England, and to experience the House in a new way.

This year we’ll be joined by Meg Lara Atelier – a brilliant designer and maker who specialises in sustainable costume design. She’ll be creating a Regency dress in a day using reclaimed materials. Drop in for a chat, see what she’s up to, and view some of her beautiful creations.

For one day only, visitors in Regency dress will be entitled to a 10% discount in the Gift Shop – the perfect excuse to treat yourself to more Regency and Jane Austen goodies!

We can’t wait to see your Regency outfits – but if you don’t have a Regency dress of your own, we’ll have lots available for you to try on.

We’ll be taking photographs throughout the day. If you’re happy to appear in photographs to be used on our website and social media, we’d love to include you!

Details:
Date: Saturday 15 July
Time: 10.00 – 4pm
Location: This event takes place at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us
Tickets: Free with house entry
Book here (please make sure you select 15 July!)

 💐  This event is part of our Anniversary Weekend celebrating the life of Jane Austen, who died in Winchester on 18 July 1817.

🏬 Visitors in Regency dress will be entitled to 10% discount in the Gift Shop; this offer is only applicable on 15 July 2023.

“How pleasant it is to spend an evening in this way!”

Pride and Prejudice

Join us for a delightful evening view of Jane Austen’s House. As twilight falls, you’ll experience the House in a whole new way, just as the Austens would have done as they closed the shutters, lit the candles and settled down for the evening.

In this special event, you will discover some of the precious objects of our collection up close and hear about them from the expert staff who look after them. From a first edition of Pride and Prejudice to one of Jane’s personal letters and a lock of her hair, these are treasures with extraordinary stories of their own.

Afterwards, relax in the pretty cottage garden with a glass of wine and enjoy the melodious sound of live music as it drifts out across the garden.

Details:
Saturday 15 July
6pm – 8pm (last entry 8pm, close at 9pm)
Location: This event will take place at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us
Tickets: £25

🍷 The event will include a glass of wine or non-alcoholic alternative. Please let us know of any dietary requirements upon booking.

💐  This event is part of our Anniversary Weekend celebrating the life of Jane Austen, who died in Winchester on 18 July 1817.

Join us for a very special event… As part of a small group, you are invited to view some of the treasures of our collection up close.

As part of our Commemoration Weekend celebrating Jane Austen’s life and works, we’ll be showcasing some of the most precious objects in our collection, including a rare first edition of Jane Austen’s first published novel, Sense and Sensibility, and a striking letter she wrote to the Prince Regent’s librarian defending her writing style. Along the way we’ll view her handwritten music book and a lock of her hair, treasured by her family.

This event will be 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 will be kept very small, so there will be plenty of opportunities to handle objects, ask questions and discuss as we go along.

This very special event will include welcome refreshments, including a glass of bubbly to toast our favourite authoress!

Details:
Date: Sunday 16 July
Time: 2pm – 3.30pm
Location: This event is at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us
Tickets: £145

👫 Capacity for this event is limited to 6 people, to allow for the best possible experience. 

🍷 The event will include a glass of sparkling wine or non-alcoholic alternative. Please let us know of any dietary requirements upon booking.

💐  This event is part of our Anniversary Weekend celebrating the life of Jane Austen, who died in Winchester on 18 July 1817.

Join us for a deep dive into three short texts from Jane Austen’s own writings and those of her family.

Inspired by our popular Online Book Club, this event will take two passages from Jane Austen’s writings and one by her sister Cassandra reflecting on Jane’s life, and explore them in greater depth. As a group we will do a close reading of each text, sharing ideas, interpretations and reactions. Whether you are an Austen afficionado or new to her writings, this is a safe, welcoming space in which to share our thoughts, ideas and love of literature!

Read the extracts here. You’ll get the most out of this session by reading them in advance, although if that’s not possible don’t worry!

Details:
Date: Sunday 16 July
Time: 7pm – 8.30pm (British Summertime)
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 (BST) – 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 Anniversary Weekend celebrating the life of Jane Austen, who died in Winchester on 18 July 1817.

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: Tuesday 18 July

Time: 6-7pm (GMT)

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

Tickets: £6.50