No. 8 College Street

Next to Winchester College stands No. 8 College Street, where Jane lodged with her sister Cassandra for the final weeks of her life. The house was secured by a friend from her Steventon days, Elizabeth Heathcote, who lived in the Cathedral Close. Jane’s doctor, Mr Lyford, lived on the nearby St Thomas Street.

Jane’s days at No. 8 College Street were spent under the care of Cassandra and her sister-in-law Mary Lloyd. On 15 July, three days before her death, Jane dictated her final verses to Cassandra: a comical poem about the Winchester horse races being rained upon by a vengeful St Swithun. By that evening, Jane’s health had declined and Cassandra became “hopeless of a recovery”. Jane died on the morning of 18 July 1817, with her head resting on Cassandra’s lap.

Though not currently open to the public, you can still wander past and stand outside the house. There's a plaque acknowledging the building's literary history.