Events

Explore Jane Austen’s House with our fun Sense and Sensibility trail! In different rooms around the House you will discover a range of items left by characters in the novel – from Marianne’s sheet music to Elinor’s watercolours.

Pick up a free trail and enjoy reliving moments from the novel as you explore the House where it was revised and published.  

Details:
Dates: 1 May – 7 September 2025
Times: 10am – 5pm (last entry 4pm)
Tickets: Free with House entry

‘the only literary pursuit which engaged Harriet at present, the only mental provision she was making for the evening of life, was the collecting and transcribing all the riddles of every sort that she could meet with, into a thin quarto of hot-pressed paper, made up by her friend, and ornamented with ciphers and trophies.’

Inspired by Harriet’s riddle book in Emma, we have created 8 new riddles and conundrums for you to solve! Pick up a free map and follow the trail of riddles around the garden and courtyard, solving them as you go!

The trail concludes in the Historic Kitchen where you will find a collection of riddles by Jane herself and her family on display.

Details:
Dates: 11 July – 7 September 2025
Times: 10am – 5pm (last entry 4pm)
Tickets: Free with House entry

‘Donwell was famous for its strawberry-beds, which seemed a plea for the invitation: but no plea was necessary; cabbage-beds would have been enough to tempt the lady, who only wanted to be going somewhere’
Emma

Join us for a unique guided tour of Jane Austen’s House. Walking in Jane’s footsteps, you’ll discover the rooms where Emma was written and learn about her inspirations for the novel.

This unique tour of the House will reveal new aspects of this beloved novel, told by an expert guide, using the House itself and objects from the collection to set the scene.

This is a unique opportunity to enjoy, examine and discuss Emma with Museum staff and fellow Jane Austen enthusiasts – and to indulge our love of the well-meaning but misguided heroine of whom Jane Austen famously declared ‘no one but myself will much like.’

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 12 July
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.

📖 This event is part of our Emma Festival, running from 12 – 20 July 2025

‘Yes, yes, we will have a Pianoforte, as good a one as can be got for 30 Guineas — & I will practise country dances, that we may have some amusement for our nephews & neices, when we have the pleasure of their company.’ 

Jane Austen, 28 December 1808  

Throughout our Emma Festival, we will welcome competent pianists who wish to practice on our 1813 Clementi square piano for an hour each morning – just as Jane Austen used to do. 

The first hour of the day will be devoted to piano practice in the Drawing Room. The House will be open to visitors, so if you wish to play, please be prepared for an appreciative audience!  

We will provide a selection of sheet music from the period, as well as printed copies of Jane Austen’s handwritten music books, so you can practice the songs that Jane herself played in this very room, should you wish to. We are also very happy for you to play from your own repertoire, although we do ask that you choose appropriate music to play. 

Find out more about our Clementi square piano.

Details:
Dates: 12-20 July 2025
Times: 10am – 11am daily
Location: This event will take place at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us. 
Tickets: £17.50 (to include entry to Jane Austen’s House) / £5 if you have an annual pass

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

📖 This event is part of our Emma Festival, 12-20 July 2025.

Join us for a gorgeously indulgent morning of chatting about Clueless! – everyone’s favourite 90s reimagining of Emma set in the L.A. hills, now a cult classic.

To celebrate the film’s 30^th anniversary we’re establishing a one-time-only Clueless Club! Join like-minded fans over coffee and doughnuts and enjoy sharing your favourite quotes, characters and scenes, analyse costumes and casting (a little swoon over Paul Rudd is totally permissible). We’ll also be setting up a little Clueless photo station and we’ll end with a pop quiz for some totally awesome Clueless prizes!

Before or after the event, drop into the House to see our 2025 exhibition Austenmania! celebrating the four Austen adaptations of 1995 – Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Persuasion and Clueless! 

Details:
Dates: Sat 12 July
Time: 11am – 12pm
Location: This event takes place at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us
Tickets: £25

This event ticket includes access to Jane Austen’s House and garden on the event day only.

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

💐 This event is part of our Emma Festival running from 12 – 20 July

Drop into a free, pop up talk celebrating the 30^th anniversary of Clueless! a brilliant reimagining of Emma set in the L.A. hills that is now a cult classic.

Details:
Dates: 12 – 20 July, daily
Time: 2pm – 2.15pm
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 Emma Festival, running from 12 – 20 July 2025

Our popular ‘Reading Aloud’ evenings take inspiration from Jane Austen’s own habit of reading her own works to family and friends in the Drawing Room of Jane Austen’s House.

 This event will focus on Jane’s perfect summer novel, Emma. As part of a small and exclusive audience, you’ll settle down for a lively reading by actors Charlotte Warner and Mark Desebrock – bringing Jane Austen’s beloved story to life.

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.

After the reading, we’ll enjoy a drinks in the Historic Kitchen and toast our inimitable and extraordinary authoress.

Details:
Date: Saturday 12 July
Performance times: 6pm – 7pm OR 7.45pm – 8.45pm
Location: This event is at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us
Tickets: £35

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

💐 This event is part of our Emma Festival running from 12 – 20 July

About the performers:

Charlotte Warner’s theatre credits include: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, A Christmas Carol, Potted Panto, It’s a Wonderful Life and The Snow Queen.

Mark Desebrock’s theatre credits include Comedy of Errors (Shakespeare’s Globe); Hamlet (Almeida West End). Film includes: Anagram, Bright Star, Still Life and The Course.

In this exclusive session you will examine a range of objects from the museum collection, under the guidance of our Collections team.

This special event will explore objects from the museum collection relating to Emma, including a rare first edition of the novel, original illustrations and costume designs. Inspired by Emma’s attempts as an artist we’ll also examine some Austen family artworks, and inspired by Harriet’s book of riddles, we’ll share a collection of Austen family charades.

This event will be led by an expert on our collection who will guide you through the objects’ histories, their significance and how we care for them.

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: Sunday 13 July 2025
Time: 11am – 12.30pm
Location: This event is at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us
Tickets: £19.50
**This event is now fully booked**

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

 This event is part of our Emma Festival, running from 12 – 20 July 2025

‘How do you like my trimming?’: Accessories, Making and Jane Austen’s Novels

We are delighted to welcome acclaimed Austen scholar Professor Jennie Batchelor for a fascinating and intimate evening talk in the Drawing Room of Jane Austen’s House, examining the needlework that Jane Austen practiced in the home and the important role that stitched items and embroidered accessories play in her novels.

On 2 June 1799, during a stay in Bath, Jane Austen wrote Cassandra a typically newsy letter about visits made, conversations had, walks taken, and the business of getting, maintaining and making clothes and accessories. Responding to Cassandra’s latest, in which she learned that two friends had asked for the ‘pattern of our caps’, Jane is initially ‘quite pleased’ by the request before flattery turns to reproach: ‘I am not so well pleased with you giving it to them’. Knowing someone wants to emulate you is one thing. Having them wear the same thing, cut to the same style and embroidered or ‘worked’ – to use the language of the day – after the same fashion was another.

Jennie Batchelor is an academic, author and speaker. She is Head of Department and Professor of Eighteenth-Century and Romantic Studies at the University of York, and Patron of the Kent branch of the Jane Austen Society. She has written and edited several books on women’s writing, eighteenth-century dress and early women’s magazines, including the perennial favourite Jane Austen Embroidery – a unique book showcasing recently discovered 18th century embroidery patterns expertly repurposed into 15 exciting modern stitching projects. The patterns and projects are brought to life with glimpses into the world of Regency women and their domestic lives by lively historical features, quotes from Jane Austen’s letters and novels, enchanting illustrations and inspirational project photography.

~

This event will be filmed for an online audience (watch this space for details!), but a small number of tickets are also available for the live event! As our live audience you will enjoy special access, you’ll be invited to ask questions, and you’ll enjoy the unique atmosphere of Jane Austen’s House out of normal opening hours.

After the talk, join us for drinks in the Historic Kitchen and raise a glass to our favourite authoress!

Details:
Date: Sunday 13 July
Time: 6pm – 7pm
Location: This event will take place at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us.
Tickets: £35

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

🎥 Capacity for this event is very limited, to allow for the event to be filmed in our historic Drawing Room. Seating will be arranged around the filming equipment.

🕓 As this event will be filmed, unfortunately latecomers cannot be admitted. Please arrive in good time to take your seat.

🏠 The House will be closed for this event so access will be restricted to the Drawing Room, where the talk takes place. General House entry is not included with the event ticket.

📖 This event is part of our Emma Festival, running from 12 – 20 July 2025

Cassandra’s Drawings and Drawing Cassandra

We are delighted to be joined by award-winning scholar Janine Barchas, curator of our current exhibition ‘The Art of Cassandra’ and author of new graphic biography of Jane Austen, focusing on the relationship between the Austen sisters: The Novel Life of Jane Austen.

In this fascinating talk, Janine will introduce Cassandra’s artworks – including previously-unseen examples of her copywork, along with some of her lesser-known family portraits. She will take us behind the scenes of the exhibition, sharing stories of the artworks and her own tales of tracking down them down and uncovering the original prints that they were based on. She will also reveal Cassandra’s unusual artistic habits, her artistic legacy, how her artworks were regarded by the Austen family and how we should consider them today.

Moving from exhibition tour to celebratory book event, Janine will also walk us through the creative process behind her beautiful, moving and triumphant graphic biography of Jane Austen, created with and best-selling graphic novelist Isabel Greenberg. She will relive the process from initial ideas and painstaking-research to favourite scenes, moments and illustrations, to final joyful publication!

If you wish to pick up a copy of this beautiful publication it will be available in our Gift Shop and Janine will be on hand to sign copies after the talk.

Details:
Date: Monday 14 July
Time: 12pm – 12.45pm
Location: This event is at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us
Tickets: Free with House admission – book general admission here – please make sure you select 14 July!

🎫 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 Emma Festival running from 12 – 20 July

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

Bring along your work in progress or start something new! 

Details:
Date: Tuesday 15 July
Time: 11am – 1pm
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 15 July!

🎫 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 Emma Festival, running from 12 – 20 July 2025

Join our Head Gardener for a fascinating guided tour of our lovely cottage garden, learning about the planting scheme, layout, and how the garden is cared for.

Details:
Date: Tuesday 15 July
Time: 2.30pm – 3pm
Location: This event is at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us
Tickets: Free with House admission – book general admission here – please make sure you select 15 July!

🎫 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 Emma Festival running from 12 – 20 July

‘Donwell was famous for its strawberry-beds, which seemed a plea for the invitation: but no plea was necessary; cabbage-beds would have been enough to tempt the lady, who only wanted to be going somewhere’
Emma

Join us for a unique guided tour of Jane Austen’s House. Walking in Jane’s footsteps, you’ll discover the rooms where Emma was written and learn about her inspirations for the novel.

This unique tour of the House will reveal new aspects of this beloved novel, told by an expert guide, using the House itself and objects from the collection to set the scene.

This is a unique opportunity to enjoy, examine and discuss Emma with Museum staff and fellow Jane Austen enthusiasts – and to indulge our love of the well-meaning but misguided heroine of whom Jane Austen famously declared ‘no one but myself will much like.’

As part of a small group, enjoy exclusive access to Jane Austen’s House after hours, with plenty of time to chat and ask questions of our knowledgeable guide.

Details:
Date: Tuesday 15 July
Time: 4.30pm – 5.30pm
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 this event will be kept very low to make it a truly special experience.

📖 This event is part of our Emma Festival, running from 12 – 20 July 2025

‘the prospect of spending future summers by the Sea or in Wales is very delightful’
Jane Austen, Saturday 3 January 1801

Jane Austen loved going on holiday. In 1805 she wrote to her sister Cassandra ‘I dare say You are already the better for a change of place’ – showing that she understood how a change of location can benefit our happiness and wellbeing.

In this summery talk, we’ll explore Jane Austen’s relationship with the seaside, from Dawlish and Worthing to Lyme Regis and Brighton. We’ll follow her into the bathing machine, enjoy a bracing coastal walk, and visit the circulating library – there might even be a holiday romance!

DETAILS:
Date: Tuesday 15 July
Time: 8pm – 9pm
Location: This event takes place online. Join us 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 tour in the run up to the event. Please check your junk folders!

 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 (British Summertime) – 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 Emma Festival running from 12 – 20 July

Please note that booking for this event will close at 5.00pm (BST) on Monday 14 July 2025. This is to ensure that all attendees receive their link in good time. 

‘each of them was busy in arranging their particular concerns, and endeavoring, by placing around them books and other possessions, to form themselves a home. Marianne’s pianoforte was unpacked and properly disposed of; and Elinor’s drawings were affixed to the walls of their sitting room.’ ~ Sense and Sensibility

Join us for a quiet and creative drawing session in the beautiful grounds of Jane Austen’s House. Bring your own project or just start sketching!

This session will take place in the cosy Learning Centre tucked behind Jane Austen’s House. We’ll provide a quiet space in which to draw, pencils and cartridge paper, summer flowers from the garden to sketch if you are so inspired, and fortifying tea and coffee. 

Bring along your work in progress or start something new! 

Details:
Date: Wednesday 16 July
Time: 11am – 1pm
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 July!

🎫 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 Emma Festival, running from 12 – 20 July 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 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: Thursday 17 July
Time: 11am – 1pm
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 17 July!

🎫 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 Emma Festival, running from 12 – 20 July 2025

On the anniversary of Jane Austen’s death, 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, 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.

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

Details:
Date: Friday 18 July
Time: 9am – 10:30am
Location: This event will take place at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us.
Tickets: £25

🎟️ Your ticket includes a House tour, followed by a light breakfast of toasted English muffins, 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. 

📖 This event is part of our Emma Festival, running from 12 – 20 July 2025

‘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.

Your event ticket also includes House admission so you can explore the House that Jane knew and loved, and enjoy the pretty cottage garden, vintage garden games and family activities.

After the walk, why not 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: Friday 18 July 2025
Time: 11:30am – 12:30pm
Location: This event starts from Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us
Tickets: £25, or £15 for annual pass holders

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

The guided walk will depart from Jane Austen’s House at 11.30am 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!

This event ticket includes access to Jane Austen’s House and garden on the event day. 

Accessibility: This walk is primarily along pavements, however there are some uneven areas and one stop is on grass. It may not be suitable for wheelchairs or mobility scooters. If you would like more information about the accessibility of the route, please contact us at enquiries@janeaustens.house

📖 This event is part of our Emma Festival, running from 12 – 20 July 2025

Join us for an exclusive workshop led by our Festival Artist in Residence Niki Groom, in which you will design and hand paint your own Regency-inspired fan.

We’ll start with an introduction to watercolour painting, move on to planning out our designs and then finally we will paint beautiful decoration on to our fans.

The session is suitable for beginners and experts alike. Please feel free to bring along anything that might inspire your design, such as an old book or a swatch of fabric, or simply be inspired by your surroundings – the beautiful cottage garden or treasures on display in Jane Austen’s House itself. (N.B. Arrive early to explore the House and take photos to inform your design!)

Along the way, enjoy tea and biscuits to fuel your creativity!

About the tutor:

The workshop will be led by our Festival Artist in Residence Niki Groom an award winning fashion, beauty, lifestyle & live event illustrator, with over 24 years in the creative industries. Niki has been commissioned by many international brands, creating artwork for advertising campaigns, window displays, in-store graphics, live events, backdrops, editorial and social media for names such as Clinique, Molton Brown, The Doyle Collection, Barnardos Charity, Ascot. Before entering the world of illustration full time she was a fashion designer for 15 years, and the knowledge that she built up during this period informs her work. She has a unique use of colour and in in-depth knowledge of fabric and print, as well as a great head for marketing and branding.

Details:
Date: Friday 18th July
Time: 2pm – 4.30pm
Location: This event will take place at Jane Austen’s House.  Find us. 
Tickets: general: £65 / student: £12

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

This event ticket includes access to Jane Austen’s House and garden on the event day only.

💐 This event is part of our Emma Festival running from 12 – 20 July

On the anniversary of Jane Austen’s death, join us for a special virtual tour of her beloved home, revealing the house that Jane knew and loved, her life here in Chawton and her extraordinary legacy.

Moving from room to room, you’ll discover how the House itself can help us understand her life and works better, and objects in the collection that help the story come to life.

This light-hearted and enjoyable event uses our beautiful virtual tour, teases out stories and objects that relate to Jane Austen’s novels, and offers the opportunity to enjoy, examine and discuss her life and legacy, and to experience Jane Austen’s House in a new way.

Details:
Date: Friday 18 July
Time: 8pm – 9pm
Location: This event will take place online. Join us from the comfort of your own home!
Tickets: £7

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

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 check your junk folders!

 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 (British Summertime) – please do check what the event time is in your territory, to ensure you log in at the right time. 

Please note that booking for this event will close at 5.00pm (BST) on Thursday 17 July 2025. This is to ensure that all attendees receive their link in good time. 

📖 This event is part of our Emma Festival, running from 12 – 20 July 2025

‘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!

Please note: Tickets for Dress Up Day are now sold out until 16:00. Pre-booking is essential for Dress Up Day.  

This year’s Dress Up Day promises to be bigger and better than ever! 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 lovely way to step back in time and get a sense of life in Regency England, and to experience the House in a new way.

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.

Once you’ve seen the House, drop into a free pop up talk on Regency fashion, enjoy Regency Country Dance demonstrations and a drop-in dance workshop by The Georgettes, and watch our Festival Artist in Residence Niki Groom creating lightening sketches of the day.

There are also some special ticketed events to enjoy throughout the day – join us on a Costumed Village Walk, a Regency fashion illustration workshop, or a talk on costumes in Jane Austen adaptations.

In the evening we’ll be staying open late, with live piano music in the Drawing Room by Gillian Dooley and Laura Klein, and pop up talks on Jane Austen and Music.

Draft schedule (subject to change):
10.30am: Pop up talk – Regency fashion and dress (free, drop in)
11am: Village Walk in Costume (SOLD OUT)
11.30am: Pop up talk – Regency fashion and dress (free, drop in)
12pm: Regency dance demonstration (free, drop in)
1pm: Pop up talk – Regency fashion and dress (free, drop in)
2pm: Pop up talk – Clueless (free, drop in)
2pm: Regency dance demonstration (free, drop in)
2.30: Regency dance workshop (free, drop in)
3pm: Talk – Regency Film Costumes (SOLD OUT)
4pm: Pop up talk – Regency fashion and dress (free, drop in)
4.30pm: Talk – Regency Film Costumes (SOLD OUT)
5pm – 7pm: Live piano performance and pop up talks on Jane Austen and music, by Laura Klein and Gillian Dooley (free, drop in)
5pm – 7pm: Pop up scenes from Emma, performed by Helen Davidge and Erika Sanderson (free, drop in)
6.30pm: NEW: Talk: Dressing Mr Knightley with Pinsent Tailoring (ticket required)

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 19 July
Time: 10am – 7pm (last entry 6pm)
Location: This event takes place at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us
Tickets: Free with House admission (some events are ticketed)
Book here (please make sure you select 19 July!) – Very Limited Tickets Available

💐 This event is part of our Emma Festival running from 12 – 20 July

‘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. Before we begin, we’ll make sure everyone is correctly attired – either come in your own Regency dress or borrow what you need from our dressing up box.

Once we are happy with our appearance we’ll 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.

Your event ticket also includes House admission so you can explore the House that Jane knew and loved, and enjoy the pretty cottage garden, vintage garden games and family activities.

After the walk, why not 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 19 July 2025
Time: 11am-12pm
Location: This event starts from Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us
Tickets: £25, or £15 for annual pass-holders

The guided walk will depart from Jane Austen’s House at 11am 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!

This event ticket includes access to Jane Austen’s House and garden on the event day. 

Accessibility: This walk is primarily along pavements, however there are some uneven areas and one stop is on grass. It may not be suitable for wheelchairs or mobility scooters. If you would like more information about the accessibility of the route, please contact us at enquiries@janeaustens.house

💐 This event is part of our Emma Festival running from 12 – 20 July

Would you like to illustrate the outfit you’re wearing to Dress Up Day? Or perhaps you fancy designing something extra special for a Jane Austen character? Maybe you’d like to adapt a dress for Jane Austen herself, with huge pockets for books and secret compartments for pen and ink?

In this fun and friendly workshop, our Festival Artist in Residence Niki Groom will take you through the basics of design, a brief overview of fashion in the early 1800s and then we’ll get to work sketching designs and illustrating our final outfit. We’ll be using templates (size inclusive) to trace from, so beginners are welcome.

We’ll create with pro marker pens and fineliners on A4 paper on the day, but if you have sketchbooks of ideas and art materials you’d like to bring along then please do.

Along the way, enjoy tea and biscuits to fuel your creativity!

About the tutor:

The workshop will be led by our Festival Artist in Residence Niki Groom an award winning fashion, beauty, lifestyle & live event illustrator, with over 24 years in the creative industries. Niki has been commissioned by many international brands, creating artwork for advertising campaigns, window displays, in-store graphics, live events, backdrops, editorial and social media for names such as Clinique, Molton Brown, The Doyle Collection, Barnardos Charity, Ascot. Before entering the world of illustration full time she was a fashion designer for 15 years, and the knowledge that she built up during this period informs her work. She has a unique use of colour and in in-depth knowledge of fabric and print, as well as a great head for marketing and branding.

DETAILS:
Date: Saturday 19th July
Time: 10.30am – 1pm
Location: This event will take place at Jane Austen’s House.  Find us. 
Tickets: general: £65 / student: £12

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

This event ticket includes access to Jane Austen’s House and garden on the event day only.

💐 This event is part of our Emma Festival running from 12 – 20 July

Join film historian Keith Lodwick for a glimpse behind the camera in this fascinating examination of some of the challenges and opportunities of designing costumes in Jane Austen film adaptations. We’ll start with the beloved film and TV adaptations of 1995 – Pride and Prejudice designed by Dinah Collin and Sense and Sensibility designed by John Bright and Jenny Beaven – and work our way right up to the acclaimed 2020 film of Emma designed by Alexandra Byrne.

Keith Lodwick is a writer and film historian, and former Curator of Theatre and Screen Arts at the V&A. Keith’s book on the 60 year history of Cosprop will be published in the autumn, making him the perfect person to walk us through the recreation of period costuming.

Details:
Date: Saturday 19 July
Time: Talks take place at 3.00pm – 4.00pm (sold out) and 4:30pm-5:30pm
Location: This event takes place at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us
Tickets: £25 (talk + House admission); £12 (talk only, for Annual Pass holders)

This event ticket includes access to Jane Austen’s House and garden on the event day only.

💐 This event is part of our Emma Festival running from 12 – 20 July

“Mr. Knightley’s air is so remarkably good that it is not fair to compare Mr. Martin with him. You might not see one in a hundred with gentleman so plainly written as in Mr. Knightley.”

As Dress Up Day draws to a close, join us for a fabulous evening with Zack Pinsent of Pinsent Tailoring – a Bespoke Period Tailor specialising in the construction and fashion history of the 18th and 19th Century.

Zack will present a unique dressing demonstration that transports you to Mr Knightley’s Dressing Room and guides you through the layers of a gentleman’s ensemble as well as the social and historical contexts of a gentleman of means in the Regency Period.

You will also have the chance to look at and examine original pieces of clothing and accessories from the period and discover the hidden details of a gentleman’s breeches.

After the presentation, there will be plenty of time for questions and conversation!

Join us beforehand for drinks from 6pm!

Details:
Date: Saturday 19 July
Times: Drinks from 6pm. Presentation and Q&A from 6.30pm – 8pm.
Location: This event takes place at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us
Tickets: £35

This event ticket includes access to Jane Austen’s House and garden on the event day only.

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

💐 This event is part of our Emma Festival running from 12 – 20 July

📷 Image by Bo Francisco

‘the prospect of spending future summers by the Sea or in Wales is very delightful’
Jane Austen, Saturday 3 January 1801

Jane Austen loved going on holiday. In 1805 she wrote to her sister Cassandra ‘I dare say You are already the better for a change of place’ – showing that she understood how a change of location can benefit our happiness and wellbeing.

In this summery talk, we’ll explore Jane Austen’s relationship with the seaside, from Dawlish and Worthing to Lyme Regis and Brighton. We’ll follow her into the bathing machine, enjoy a bracing coastal walk, and visit the circulating library – there might even be a holiday romance!

DETAILS:
Date: Sunday 20 July
Time: 2.30pm – 3.30pm
Location: This event takes place at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us
Tickets: £25 (talk + House admission); £12 (talk only, for Annual Pass holders)

This event ticket includes access to Jane Austen’s House and garden on the event day only.

💐 This event is part of our Emma Festival running from 12 – 20 July

Join us for an entertaining and insightful talk by debut author Veronica Litt, as she discusses her new book on the classic 1995 Emma adaptation Clueless. Litt’s Ugh! As If! is a sweet and sly exploration of the Jane Austen-inspired teen movie and its evergreen imperative to be kind, do better, and find the activist within. Uncovering the complex layers beneath the glossy girly movie, Litt investigates the film’s deeper ethical questions about femininity, innocence, bias, and inequity—all while staying true to the film’s light, funny, optimistic register.

“Litt’s sparkling, highly original Ugh! As If! works like a rose-colored kaleidoscope, using the brilliant teen movie Clueless as a lens to examine the broader cultural landscape. With playfulness and depth, she makes a case for a more thoughtful approach to “feminine” art, shedding light on everything from the scourge of cinematic status anxiety to the nature of love.” – Emily Nussbaum, Pulitzer Prize winning critic and author of Cue the Sun!

Veronica Litt is a writer, reader, and teacher from southern Ontario. She holds a PhD in English and Book History from the University of Toronto and currently lives in Nova Scotia, where she teaches post-secondary classes on English literature. Ugh! As If! is her first book.

Details:
Date: Sunday 20 July
Time: 8pm – 9pm
Location: This event will take place online. Join us from the comfort of your own home!
Tickets: £7

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

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 check your junk folders!

 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 (British Summertime) – please do check what the event time is in your territory, to ensure you log in at the right time. 

Please note that booking for this event will close at 5.00pm (BST) on Saturday 19 July 2025. This is to ensure that all attendees receive their link in good time. 

📖 This event is part of our Emma Festival, running from 12 – 20 July 2025

Explore Jane Austen’s House with our fun Sense and Sensibility trail! In different rooms around the House you will discover a range of items left by characters in the novel – from Marianne’s sheet music to Elinor’s watercolours.

Pick up a free trail and enjoy reliving moments from the novel as you explore the House where it was revised and published.  

Details:
Dates: 1 May – 7 September 2025
Times: 10am – 5pm (last entry 4pm)
Tickets: Free with House entry

‘the only literary pursuit which engaged Harriet at present, the only mental provision she was making for the evening of life, was the collecting and transcribing all the riddles of every sort that she could meet with, into a thin quarto of hot-pressed paper, made up by her friend, and ornamented with ciphers and trophies.’

Inspired by Harriet’s riddle book in Emma, we have created 8 new riddles and conundrums for you to solve! Pick up a free map and follow the trail of riddles around the garden and courtyard, solving them as you go!

The trail concludes in the Historic Kitchen where you will find a collection of riddles by Jane herself and her family on display.

Details:
Dates: 11 July – 7 September 2025
Times: 10am – 5pm (last entry 4pm)
Tickets: Free with House entry

‘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.

Your event ticket also includes House admission so you can explore the House that Jane knew and loved, and enjoy the pretty cottage garden, vintage garden games and family activities.

After the walk, why not 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: Friday 1 August 2025
Time: 11am – 12pm
Location: This event starts from Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us
Tickets: £25, or £15 for annual pass holders

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

The guided walk will depart from Jane Austen’s House at 11.30am 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!

This event ticket includes access to Jane Austen’s House and garden on the event day. 

Accessibility: This walk is primarily along pavements, however there are some uneven areas and one stop is on grass. It may not be suitable for wheelchairs or mobility scooters. If you would like more information about the accessibility of the route, please contact us at enquiries@janeaustens.house

*SOLD OUT* Back by popular demand! In 2025 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 seventh session will focus on Jane’s beautiful and moving novel Persuasion.

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 Persuasion discussion with fellow Jane Austen fans around the world!

Details:
Date: Tuesday 5 August
Time: 7pm – 8pm (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. 

Please note – ticket sales for this event will close at 5.00pm GMT the day before.

Join author and biographer Dr Christopher Herbert for a free, pop-up talk on Henry Austen, Jane Austen’s favourite brother.

Henry shared much of Jane’s mischievous wit and facility with words and his support enabled the publication of her novels.

This talk celebrates Dr Herbert’s new book: Jane Austen’s Favourite Brother, Henry published by Pen & Sword UK. This new and important study examines both Henry’s relationships within the Austen family and the many social milieux in which he worked, which, through his recounting of his experiences, may have provided inspiration for some of Jane’s plots and characters.

Dr Christopher Herbert is a former Bishop of St Albans, member of the House of Lords and Visiting Professor at the University of Surrey, and an experienced and widely read author. His interest in Henry Austen began with the chance discovery of a curious note written in a church Register. The biography grew from there…

Details:
Date: Saturday 9 August 2025
Time: 12.30 – 12.45pm
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 19 April!

🎫 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.

‘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.

Your event ticket also includes House admission so you can explore the House that Jane knew and loved, and enjoy the pretty cottage garden, vintage garden games and family activities.

After the walk, why not 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 9 August 2025
Time: 2pm – 3pm
Location: This event starts from Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us
Tickets: £25, or £15 for annual pass holders

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

The guided walk will depart from Jane Austen’s House at 2pm promptly. Please make sure you arrive in good time to join the group.

This event ticket includes access to Jane Austen’s House and garden on the event day. 

 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!

Accessibility: This walk is primarily along pavements, however there are some uneven areas and one stop is on grass. It may not be suitable for wheelchairs or mobility scooters. If you would like more information about the accessibility of the route, please contact us at enquiries@janeaustens.house

*SOLD OUT* 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 English muffins – just as Jane used to do!

Details:
Date: Saturday 16 August 2025
Time: 9am – 10:30am
Location: This event will take place at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us.
Tickets: £25.00

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

🎫 Your ticket includes a House tour, followed by a light breakfast of English muffins, 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.

Join us for a very special guided tour of Jane Austen’s House. As part of a small group, you will enjoy an early evening tour of the House when it is closed to the public.

Explore the House, walking in Jane Austen’s footsteps through rooms that she knew and loved. In each room, you’ll discover precious objects from Jane Austen’s life, from her father’s Mahogany bookcase to her sister Cassandra’s hand-stitched sampler and the topaz crosses belonging to Jane and Cassandra, to first editions of her novels and her own hand-written music books.

With plenty of opportunities to chat and ask questions along the way, this unique tour will transport you back in time to get a sense of Regency life and to experience the House in a new way.

Details:
Date: Saturday 16 August 2025
Time: 5pm – 6pm
Location: This event takes place at Jane Austen’s House. 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.

Explore Jane Austen’s House with our fun Sense and Sensibility trail! In different rooms around the House you will discover a range of items left by characters in the novel – from Marianne’s sheet music to Elinor’s watercolours.

Pick up a free trail and enjoy reliving moments from the novel as you explore the House where it was revised and published.  

Details:
Dates: 1 May – 7 September 2025
Times: 10am – 5pm (last entry 4pm)
Tickets: Free with House entry

‘the only literary pursuit which engaged Harriet at present, the only mental provision she was making for the evening of life, was the collecting and transcribing all the riddles of every sort that she could meet with, into a thin quarto of hot-pressed paper, made up by her friend, and ornamented with ciphers and trophies.’

Inspired by Harriet’s riddle book in Emma, we have created 8 new riddles and conundrums for you to solve! Pick up a free map and follow the trail of riddles around the garden and courtyard, solving them as you go!

The trail concludes in the Historic Kitchen where you will find a collection of riddles by Jane herself and her family on display.

Details:
Dates: 11 July – 7 September 2025
Times: 10am – 5pm (last entry 4pm)
Tickets: Free with House entry

Back by popular demand! In 2025 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!

This session will focus on Jane Austen’s youthful, spoof-Gothic novel, Northanger Abbey.

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 September 2025
Time: 7pm – 8pm (BST)
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. 

Please note – ticket sales for this event will close at 5.00pm BST the day before.

‘Yes, yes, we will have a Pianoforte, as good a one as can be got for 30 Guineas — & I will practise country dances, that we may have some amusement for our nephews & neices, when we have the pleasure of their company.’ 

Jane Austen, 28 December 1808  

Throughout our Persuasion Festival, we will welcome competent pianists who wish to practice on our 1813 Clementi square piano for an hour each morning – just as Jane Austen used to do. 

The first hour of the day will be devoted to piano practice in the Drawing Room. The House will be open to visitors, so if you wish to play, please be prepared for an appreciative audience!  

We will provide a selection of sheet music from the period, as well as printed copies of Jane Austen’s handwritten music books, so you can practice the songs that Jane herself played in this very room, should you wish to. We are also very happy for you to play from your own repertoire, although we do ask that you choose appropriate music to play. 

Find out more about our Clementi square piano.

Details:
Dates: 12-20 September 2025
Times: 10am – 11am daily
Location: This event will take place at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us. 
Tickets: £17.50 (to include entry to Jane Austen’s House) / £5 if you have an annual pass

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

📖 This event is part of our Persuasion Festival, 12-21 September 2025.

Mindful Painting, Meditation and Nature Explorations

Join inspiring watercolour artist Kristina Kivu for a day of playful explorations of art, nature and mindfulness. This workshop is a gentle invitation to slow down, relax your nervous system and nurture your creativity.

We’ll begin the day with a peaceful, grounding meditation to ease into a relaxed mindset. The meditation is followed by some simple mindful art activities in the studio, exploring how making art is a process, focusing on how it feels in your body rather than how it looks. Through each slow brushstroke, you’ll connect with the power of mindfulness, allowing yourself to let go and enjoy the creative flow.

Next, we’ll step into the beautiful cottage garden for an immersive experience in nature. You can either choose to do some simple sketches or just simply be present in the environment. What excites you, what draws you in? Sounds, smells, colours, shapes, textures? You will learn the art of noticing, breathing it all in and responding to what surrounds you. Another fun part of the day will be gathering some materials that we will later use in the studio for playful mark making or for painting inspiration.

Returning indoors, we’ll continue our mindful art explorations, working with memories and impressions from our time in nature. There are no rules, just pure creative play. You might create something that resembles a natural form, or just make abstract art, shapes, marks. The important aspect is to remain grounded in the present moment, always coming back to how making art feels in your body.

We will end the session with time to share reflections and experiences, along with a Q&A to address any thoughts that arise.

Who is this for?
This workshop is open to everyone – whether you’re an artist, a creative soul, or simply seeking a day of relaxation and reconnection. No prior art experience is needed.

What’s included?
All art materials are included, including a watercolor painting kit for you to take home.

• A peaceful and inspiring environment to explore creativity in the grounds of Jane Austen’s House
• Gentle guidance in meditation, mindfulness and intuitive art-making
• Time in nature to inspire your artistic process

Refreshments:
Refreshments will be provided, including morning tea/coffee and biscuits, and afternoon tea and cake. There will also be a lunchbreak when you can eat your own packed lunch or adjourn to get lunch elsewhere (we suggest the village cafe, Cassandra’s Cup, which is very close!)

About Kristina:
Kristina is an intuitive watercolor artist with a deep commitment to mindfulness and meditation. She is passionate about art as a process of self-expression, play, and inner connection. Her workshops provide a space to relax, play, explore, and restore – blending creativity with mindfulness to create a truly unique experience. Find out more.

“Art is more than something we make – it’s something we feel. It’s movement, energy, calm, presence and the ultimate self expression.”

Details:
Date: Friday 12 September
Time: 10.30am – 4.30pm
Location: This event is at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us
Tickets: £95

 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 Persuasion Festival, running from 12 – 21 September 2025

Drop into a free, pop up talk celebrating Jane Austen’s last completed novel, Persuasion.

Details:
Dates: 12 – 21 September, daily
Time: 2pm – 2.15pm
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 Persuasion Festival, running from 12 – 21 September 2025

We’re kicking off our Persuasion & Poetry Festival in style with another fabulous event at Goldfinch Books – our local independent bookshop, café, bar and event space – and produced in partnership with Winchester Poetry Festival.

Join us for an evening of scintillating poetry, hosted by award winning local poet and Austen aficionado Ellora Sutton, and featuring readings by our star guest poet Rachel Long, as well as readings by local poets.

Join us for drinks and merriment, a glimpse into Jane Austen’s writing process and some of her own poetry, as well as poems inspired by her work and themes.

If you’d like to read a poem – either your own, one of Jane’s or a poem that Jane knew and loved – get in touch to book a slot!

**Poetry rules: readers are invited to read one poem, or an extract of a longer poem, max one side of A4. Each slot will be 3 mins max. For info on poets Jane Austen knew and loved, start here **

If you want to listen – grab a drink from the bar and sit back to enjoy an evening of delightful company and inspiring writing!

Rachel Long is a hugely talented poet – shortlisted for the Forward Prize for Best First Collection, The Costa Book Award, The Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award, The Rathbones Folio Prize, and the Jhalak Prize Book of the Year by a Writer of Colour), is widely published (The Guardian, Poetry, Granta, The Poetry Review, and The White Review) and works as a tutor and mentor (The Arvon Foundation, Faber Academy, The Poetry School, and The Irish Writers Centre), a curator and has judged multiple poetry and literature competitions.

Ellora Sutton is a poet and PhD student based in Hampshire. She was the Poetry Book Society Spring 2023 Pamphlet Choice with Antonyms for Burial (Fourteen Poems), and her most recent pamphlet, Artisanal Slush is out now from Verve Poetry Press. She has been poet-in-residence at Jane Austen’s House and Petersfield Museum and Art Gallery, as well as being the poetry reviewer for Mslexia. Her PhD research uses poetry as a means of assessing the impact of gender bias in urban planning.

Details:
Date: Friday 12 September
Time: 7:30pm – 8.30pm
Location: Goldfinch Books, 21 High Street, Alton
Tickets: £6.50 per person

✍️ This event is supported by Winchester Poetry Festival

 This event is part of our Persuasion and Poetry Festival, running from 12-21 September 2025

Welcoming new and experienced poets, Maura Dooley will lead an inspiring workshop in which lines and phrases from Jane Austen’s novels and poems will be used as starting points for new work of our own.

Maura Dooley’s most recent collection of poetry is Five Fifty-Five (Bloodaxe). Anthologies she has edited include The Honey Gatherers: Love Poems and How Novelists Work. In 2016 she was Poet-in-Residence at Jane Austen’s House. Her own poems from the residency are published as A Quire of Paper . She also edited an anthology of poems by other contemporary poets responding to Austen’s work,  All My Important Nothings. In 2018 she published versions (with Elhum Shakerifa) of work by the exiled Iranian poet Azita Ghahreman, Negative of a Group Photograph (Bloodaxe) which received a PEN Translation Award. She has twice been short-listed for the T.S. Eliot Award and also for the Forward Single Poem Award. Her work has received an Eric Gregory Award and a Cholmondeley Award and she is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.

Details:
Date: Saturday 13 September
Times: 10.30am – 1pm
Location: This event is at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us
Tickets: £35

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

🏠 This event includes House admission on this day only.

✍️ This event is supported by Winchester Poetry Festival

 This event is part of our Persuasion Festival, running from 12 – 21 September 2025

“Rooms concise, or rooms distended: Jane Austen’s love of poetry”

The title is from a poem Jane Austen wrote to her brother Frank, congratulating him on the birth of a son and expressing her excitement in contemplating a move from Southampton to her new home at Chawton.

Our Chawton home, how much we find
Already in it, to our mind;
And how convinced, that when complete
It will all other Houses beat
That ever have been made or mended,
With rooms concise, or rooms distended.

In this informal talk Maura Dooley will read from and discuss some of the poets Jane Austen loved, some of Jane Austen’s own poems and poetry written by Maura Dooley herself, in response to time spent at Austen’s home in Chawton.

Maura Dooley’s most recent collection of poetry is Five Fifty-Five (Bloodaxe). Anthologies she has edited include The Honey Gatherers: Love Poems and How Novelists Work. In 2016 she was Poet-in-Residence at Jane Austen’s House. Her own poems from the residency are published as A Quire of Paper . She also edited an anthology of poems by other contemporary poets responding to Austen’s work,  All My Important Nothings. In 2018 she published versions (with Elhum Shakerifa) of work by the exiled Iranian poet Azita Ghahreman, Negative of a Group Photograph (Bloodaxe) which received a PEN Translation Award. She has twice been short-listed for the T.S. Eliot Award and also for the Forward Single Poem Award. Her work has received an Eric Gregory Award and a Cholmondeley Award and she is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.

Details:
Date: Saturday 13 September
Times: 3pm – 4pm
Location: This event is at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us
Tickets: £15

🏠 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 supported by Winchester Poetry Festival

 This event is part of our Persuasion Festival, running from 12 – 21 September 2025

“The Difficult Miss Austen”

We are delighted to welcome the acclaimed novelist and Esteemed Patron of Jane Austen’s House Salley Vickers for a fascinating and intimate evening talk in the Drawing Room of Jane Austen’s House, examining some of the dangers and difficulties that Jane Austen explores in her last three novels.

Jane Austen’s novels remain perennially popular not least because of their enthusiastic adaptations as films in which the romantic is inevitably emphasised at the expense of more subversive, socially critical elements in her writing.

This talk will consider some of the themes in the last three great novels, Mansfield Park, Emma and Persuasion, in which Jane Austen explores the dangers and difficulties, particularly for women, of living within the constraints of a socially conservative and potentially punitive society.

Salley Vickers published her first novel, the word-of-mouth bestseller, Miss Garnet’s Angel, in 2000 and now writes full time. Before that she worked as a tutor in adult education, a university teacher of literature and a psychoanalyst. She is proud to be a Patron of Jane Austen’s House.

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This event will be filmed for an online audience (watch this space for details!), but a small number of tickets are also available for the live event! As our live audience you will enjoy special access, you’ll be invited to ask questions, and you’ll enjoy the unique atmosphere of Jane Austen’s House out of normal opening hours.

After the talk, join us for drinks in the Historic Kitchen and raise a glass to our favourite authoress!

Details:
Saturday 13 September
Time: 6pm – 7pm
Location: This event is at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us
Tickets: £35
*This event is now fully booked*

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

🎥 Capacity for this event is very limited, to allow for the event to be filmed in our historic Drawing Room. Seating will be arranged around the filming equipment.

🕓 As this event will be filmed, unfortunately latecomers cannot be admitted. Please arrive in good time to take your seat.

🏠 The House will be closed for this event so access will be restricted to the Drawing Room, where the talk takes place. General House entry is not included with the event ticket.

 This event is part of our Persuasion Festival, running from 12 – 21 September 2025

Talk: Bringing Jane Austen’s Garden to Life: A Conversation with Molly Williams

Join author Molly Williams for an in-depth look at the creative journey behind Jane Austen’s Garden: A Botanical Tour of the Classic Novels. In this engaging lecture, Molly will discuss her research and writing processes—uncovering how she blended literature and history to bring Austen’s botanical world to life. From archival discoveries to artistic inspiration, this behind-the-scenes conversation offers a fascinating glimpse into the making of the book. Following the discussion, attendees will have the opportunity to meet Molly during a book signing.

Molly Williams is the author of Jane Austen’s Garden: A Botanical Tour of the Classic Novels; The Junior Plant Lover’s Handbook: A Green-Thumb Guide for Kids; How to Speak Flower; Taming the Potted Beast: The Strange and Sensational History of the Not-So-Humble Houseplant; and Killer Plants: Growing and Caring for Flytraps, Pitcher Plants and Other Deadly Flora.

Molly is thrilled to announce that she has been chosen for the 2025 Gates Cambridge cohort, and she will begin her PhD studies in October at the University of Cambridge.

She is an avid houseplant collector, gardener, florist, and teacher of many things, including writing.

Details:

Date: Sunday 14th September 2025

Time: 11am – 12pm

Location: This event takes place at Jane Austen’s House. Find us

Tickets: £15 per person

🏠 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 Persuasion and Poetry Festival, running from 12-21 September 2025

*SOLD OUT* Botanicals of the Regency: Crafting with Nature in Jane Austen’s World

‘There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort.’
Mansfield Park

In this gentle and immersive workshop, we invite you to step into the world of Jane Austen — not the ballroom, but the stillroom: the quiet heart of the home, where fragrant herbs and garden blooms were transformed into remedies, comforts, and delights.

Together we shall explore the botanical traditions of the Regency era, drawing upon the herbs and flowers that graced cottage gardens and manor estates alike. You will craft a trio of elegant preparations to take home:
– a silky herbal body butter, scented with the delicate notes of rose, lavender, or geranium;
– a softly glowing beeswax candle, enriched with the aromas that once perfumed parlours and dressing tables;
– and a refreshing infused botanical water, reminiscent of the tonics and floral waters used for complexion, calm, and cordial conversation.

Amid the crafting, you’ll discover stories of Regency herbal wisdom — from rosemary for remembrance to the soothing virtues of chamomile — and how such preparations offered both pleasure and practicality in the daily lives of Austen’s contemporaries.

Geanina Grigore is a living historian and educator with a passion for bringing history to life through hands-on craft. Growing up in a rural village kindled her appreciation for traditional skills and a deep connection to the natural world. Specialising in the historical practices of herbal remedies and stillroom life, Geanina draws inspiration from the 15th to 17th centuries, inviting modern audiences to experience the simplicity and beauty of creating herbal and aromatic items as they were once made. Based on the edge of the picturesque Surrey Hills, she runs workshops on natural skincare and herbal crafts inspired by historical texts, sharing her passion for nature and timeless knowledge with those who seek to reconnect with old-world traditions.

Details:
Date: Sunday 14 September
Time: 2pm – 5pm
Location: This event will take place at Jane Austen’s House.  Find us. 
Tickets: £65

☕ 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 Persuasion and Poetry Festival, running from 12-21 September 2025

This very special virtual tour uses objects from our collection and the House itself to examine and celebrate Jane Austen’s beautiful autumnal novel Persuasion.

Following in Jane’s footsteps, you’ll discover the rooms where Jane wrote Persuasion in 1815-1816 – the last of her novels to be completed before her death in 1817.

Moving from room to room, you’ll discover how the House itself can help us understand the novel better, and objects in the collection that help the story come to life.

This light-hearted and enjoyable event uses our beautiful virtual tour to tease out stories and objects that relate to Jane Austen’s classic work, and offers the opportunity to enjoy, examine and discuss Persuasion, and to experience Jane Austen’s House in a new way.

Details:
Date: Sunday 14 September 2025
Time: 7pm – 8pm (BST)
Location: This event will take place online. Join us 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 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. 

🎥 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 (British Summertime) – 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 Persuasion and Poetry Festival, running from 12-21 September 2025

Please note that booking for this event will close at 5.00pm (BST) on Saturday 13 September 2025. This is to ensure that all attendees receive their link in good time.

This special event will showcase a range of illustrations for Jane Austen’s novels and celebrate the museum’s acquisition of a set of beautiful woodcut prints by artist Sarah Young, specially created this year for the Folio Society.

In the first half of the session we’ll examine a range of early illustrated editions and artworks, including original illustrations by Hugh Thomson, Chris Hammond and Joan Hassall, and illustrated editions including Hugh Thomson’s stunning “Peacock edition” of Pride and Prejudice (George Allen, 1894) and La Famille Elliot ou L’Ancienne Inclination, the first French edition of Persuasion and the first edition of an Austen novel that featured illustrations (an engraved frontispiece in each volume, Engravings by Delvaux after Charles Abraham Chasselat).

We’ll then move into the 21^st century with a deep dive into a brand-new, limited edition collection of Jane Austen’s complete novels published by The Folio Society. We’ll showcase the museum’s most recent acquisition – a collection of beautiful woodcut prints by artist Sarah Young, specially created for the Folio Society edition, and we’ll be joined by Kate Grimwade, production director at The Folio Society, for insights into how the new edition was created, from commissioning artwork and binding materials to layout and typography.

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.

When the objects are safely packed away we’ll serve tea and coffee, chat about the objects we’ve seen, and you will have the chance to explore the House and garden.

Details:
Monday 15 September
Times: 11am – 1pm
Location: This event is at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us
Tickets: £35

 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 Persuasion Festival, running from 12 – 21 September 2025

‘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 the walk, why not 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: Monday 15 September 2025
Time: 3pm – 4pm
Location: This event starts from Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us
Tickets: £15 

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

The guided walk will depart from Jane Austen’s House at 3pm promptly. Please make sure you arrive in good time to join the group.

This event ticket does not include entry to Jane Austen’s House, if you wish to enter the House before or after your walk please buy an admission ticket here.

 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!

Accessibility: This walk is primarily along pavements, however there are some uneven areas and one stop is on grass. It may not be suitable for wheelchairs or mobility scooters. If you would like more information about the accessibility of the route, please contact us at enquiries@janeaustens.house

 This event is part of our Persuasion and Poetry Festival, running from 12-21 September 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. We’ll provide fortifying tea and coffee to keep you going! 

Bring along your work in progress or start something new! 

Details:
Date: Tuesday 16 September
Time: 11am – 1pm
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 September!

🎫 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 Persuasion and Poetry Festival, running from 12-21 September 2025

Virtual Talk: Molly Williams and Jessica Roux in Conversation

Join us for an engaging In Conversation event with author Molly Williams as she discusses her latest book, Jane Austen’s Garden: A Botanical Tour of the Classic Novels, alongside illustrator Jessica Roux. This moderated Q&A will explore the intersection of literature and horticulture, uncovering how Austen’s world was shaped by the gardens of her time.

Molly Williams is the author of Jane Austen’s Garden: A Botanical Tour of the Classic Novels; The Junior Plant Lover’s Handbook: A Green-Thumb Guide for Kids; How to Speak Flower; Taming the Potted Beast: The Strange and Sensational History of the Not-So-Humble Houseplant; and Killer Plants: Growing and Caring for Flytraps, Pitcher Plants and Other Deadly Flora.

Molly is thrilled to announce that she has been chosen for the 2025 Gates Cambridge cohort, and she will begin her PhD studies in October at the University of Cambridge.

She is an avid houseplant collector, gardener, florist, and teacher of many things, including writing.

Jessica Roux is a Nashville-based freelance illustrator and plant and animal enthusiast. She loves exploring in her own backyard and being surrounded by an abundance of nature. Using subdued colours and rhythmic shapes, she renders flora and fauna with intricate detail reminiscent of old-world beauty. She is the author and illustrator behind Floriography: An Illustrated Guide to the Victorian Language of Flowers, Ornithography: An Illustrated Guide to Bird Lore & Symbolism, and the Woodland Wardens Oracle Deck & Guidebook.

Details:
Date: Tuesday 16 September
Time: 8pm – 9pm (BST)
Location: This event will take place online. Join us 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 tour in the run up to the event. Please check your junk folders!

 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 (British Summertime) – please do check what the event time is in your territory, to ensure you log in at the right time. 

Please note that booking for this event will close at 5.00pm (BST) on Monday 15 September 2025. This is to ensure that all attendees receive their link in good time. 

 This event is part of our Persuasion and Poetry Festival, running from 12-21 September 2025