Day 5 - Thursday March 30

Jane's England

Today was an extra special day on our trip. It was all about Jane Austen and where she wrote and published her most famous novels! Since this was a day spent in the countryside we hired a professional guide from Totally Tailored and I cannot recommend this company enough. We started the journey in Steventon. This is the birthplace of Jane Austen and where she and her 7 siblings were born to George and Cassandra Austen. George was the rector at the parish, St. Nicholas. There are many markers paying tribute to Jane or her older brother George, but most of the signage is in honor of the Digweeds, who owned the big house across from the church.


From Steventon we went to the cottage of Chawton, which was where Jane completed and published her most famous works including Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice. This was such a highlight for me personally, it gave me a window into what her daily life was like. Especially when we walked the lane from the cottage to the big house (Chawton House). Something I learned from this tour was that Jane Austen's fortunes turned when her brother Edward was adopted by the Knight family (Thomas Knight and his wife) since they had no heir. The Knight family owned Chawton house and the surrounding lands. Another interesting thing that I learned more about was the close relationship between Jane and her sister Cassandra. I even got to see the room that they shared at Chawton cottage. One of the unique artifacts that they had on display was Jane's writing desk, which was much smaller than I thought it would be!


We then paused for an authentic English lunch at the local pub, The Greyfriar, before walking up the path to Chawton House. 


While Chawton House is considered small by English manor house standards, it seemed impressive to me! What makes Chawton house special is it is home to an extensive library featuring 19th century female writers. They also have several portraits on display featuring notable authors, playwrights, and actors– all women from the same time period. There were so many stories to absorb and it is the perfect place to feature these women as Jane also holds an important place in literary history! It is hard to explain the impact and importance of these places, but seeing a glimpse into Jane's life helps me see her writing through a new lense and I am looking forward to rereading some of my favorites with a fresh perspective.

We closed out the tour with a very quick visit to Jane's burial site at Winchester Cathedral. A beautiful example of medieval architecture, but the highlight for Karen and I was to see Jane's final resting place. While her grave marker focuses on her spiritual gifts, there is a newer plaque on the wall the explains her importance as an author!


An Evening Stroll

After taking a stroll with Karen, I separated to take the longer lap around Kensington Gardens and to see Kensington Palace at night. I then finished my night with egg rolls and dim sum at a restaurant in Chinatown. I worked on this blog post while sipping wine and indulging in delicious food, the perfect end to a perfect day!



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