The House that Jane Built

We all know that Jane didn’t build anything except charming little worlds peopled with loveable heroines, romantic heroes, despicable cads, cunning villainesses,  and a cleric or two, to say nothing of the dog.

This is Jane’s last known residence before settling into eternal rest at Winchester Cathedral in Hampshire, England. She has a weekend retreat in Westminster Abbey’s Poet’s Corner as well.

The Jane Austen House Museum, or Chawton House as the Jane-o-philes refer to it colloquially, is also located in Hampshire. Jane Austen spent the last eight years of her life at Chawton House and wrote Emma and Persuasion seated at a very small writing table and carefully dipping a delicate feather quill in a small bottle of ink.

Jane’s brother, Edward, a supporter of her writing, owned the “cottage” as part of his estate in Chawton and offered it to his sisters and mother rent free. The family moved to Chawton from Bath in 1809 and Jane spent the rest of her days here, revising existing works and creating whole new ones.