Pictures of Chawton

About Chawton

In the winter-time the abundant springs that spread through downland vales fill and overflow. In Chawton, as with other villages, the waters rise up and create a safe oasis for many species of wildlife.

In Chawton is the unassuming 18th-century cottage where Jane Austen once lived. The great novelist spent her final eight years of life in the peaceful cottage and it is here that Jane wrote some of her most famous works; Emma and Mansfield Park were both written in Chawston, so too, was Persuasion. When Jane lived here, toiling daily at her writing and going about the lovely countryside in her donkey cart, she could never have imagined the numerous visitors who flock here from the world over, simply to see the place in which their heroine lived and worked.

The cottage remains to this day with the interior being much as it was when Jane was alive. There are exhibits of her possessions which include a number of her music books and a patchwork quilt that she worked at with her mother. It is said that Jane planted the two oak trees that stand on the Winchester Road, a little beyond her garden wall. Both house and garden are a celebration of Jane's life and work and are well worth a visit.

The local village church is a masterpiece of local craftmanship. It was built in the year 1871 to a design by Sir Arthur Blomfield and is quite magnificent. The church contains many treasures and is beautifully furnished.

Chawton is close to the picturesque Mid Hants Rail line and not far from the pleasant town of Alton, whose history dates back at least to Roman times. All around is pleasant countryside and pretty villages, a day in Chawton is not to be missed

Interesting & Historical Facts about Chawton

The village of Chawton in Hampshire was once home to Jane Austen

Chawton facts | Hampshire facts