Life has changed since Jane Austen's days around 1800 – but has it really? Many readers are still intrigued by her vivid characterizations and classic love stories in Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Emma and Persuasion. Adaptations for television and the big screen introduce them to new generations of – mainly female – fans. Why not travel to England for a true "Austenite" holiday?
Jane Austen's Birthplace in Steventon
On 16 December 1775 Jane Austen was born at Steventon rectory in Hampshire into a landed gentry family. Next to the small village's rectory stood an old church from the 12th century, which can still be visited today. The rectory itself was destroyed in 1823.
Jane Austen's Home in Chawton
After shorter stays in Bath and Southampton the family moved to Chawton in Hampshire.The village is close to Winchester. From 1809 until her death in 1817 the novelist lived in her brother's house. Here she wrote and rewrote her most famous books.
Her home in Chawton is now a museum, which presents the desk where she wrote her novels and letters, her bedroom with a quilt she made herself and other original items like letters. The library holds various editions of her novels and their translations. Souvenir shop and tea room are also part of the museum.
Jane Austen's Grave in Winchester
Shortly before she died Jane Austen moved to College Street in Winchester. She was in poor health and died just 41 years of age on 18 July 1817. A memorial sign can be found on the house.
One of her brothers arranged for her to be buried in Winchester Cathedral. The cathedral was built in a Norman Gothic style in the 11th century and is one of the biggest in Great Britain. An epitaph written by her brother is displayed on a wall and commemorates the great author.
Jane Austen Festival in Bath
Walk like Jane, talk like Jane, dance like Jane - every year in September hundreds of Austenites gather in Bath to celebrate the Jane Austen Festival. In 2009 it takes place from 18 to 27 of September.
Guided walks, often in Regency costumes, lead through the historic streets that Jane Austen once walked. Dance classes and balls capture the spirit of the old days, as do the concerts, theatre plays and soirees. Horse drawn carriages go to Chawton, where the author lived.
Apart from the festival the Jane Austen Centre in Bath can be visited all year round. It consists of a very informative exhibtion and the Regency Tea Rooms, which offer appealing menus like "Tea with Mr Darcy". Close to the Jane Austen Centre are the old Assembly Rooms, which used to be the center of social life in Jane Austen's days.
Mr Darcy's Pemberley: BBC-Location for Pride and Prejudice
Since the BBC mini-series Pride and Prejudice with Jennifer Ehle as Elizabeth Bennett and Colin Firth as Mr Darcy was first shown in 1995 it has remained one of the most popular Austen adaptations ever. Mr Darcy's Derbyshire estate Pemberley did not only convince Miss Bennett that she loved the man, it also impressed the television audience.
The location shots were made in Lyme Park in Cheshire. The estate with its extensive landscaped gardens is bordering on the Peak District and lies close to Manchester. The building was constructed in the 16th century and was renovated and updated in the 18th century in a then fashionable Italian style.
Austen-fans can walk in the park and visit the lake where Darcy and Elizabeth bumped into each other. Further walks lead through formal gardens, rose gardens and a deer park.
The interior of Pemberley was shot in Sudbury Hall in Derbyshire, which is located south of the Peak District. Today the restoration style building from the 17th century is a museum, where the staff life "below stairs" is portrayed and the history of childhood is retold.
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