Jane Austen’s story

Jane Austen was born on 16 December 1775 in the Old Rectory in Steventon which, sadly, no longer exists, but the county has plenty more to tempt Austen fans. Hampshire was not only her birthplace, but its people, and the society in which she moved, provided inspiration for many of her novels.

She lived in Steventon for the first 25 years of her life. Upon her father's retirement, the family relocated to Bath where they stayed from 1801 to 1806. After his death the Austens returned to her beloved Hampshire, moving first to lodgings in Southampton, then to the village of Chawton in 1809. They were offered Chawton Cottage, now Jane Austen's House, by their elder brother Edward, who inherited estates in Chawton, Steventon and Godmersham from rich relatives. It was here that Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park and Emma were published.

When illness struck, she moved to Winchester under the care of Giles Lyford, a surgeon at the County Hospital. Lodgings were arranged for her and Cassandra at No. 8 College Street. She died on 18 July 1817, aged 41 years old. She was laid to rest in Winchester Cathedral.

During the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth in 2025, Winchester was the setting for a host of special events, tours and exhibitions to celebrate the remarkable life and works of this beloved Hampshire-born novelist. But there are plenty of ways to continue to connect with Jane Austen's Winchester now year-round.

See the Winchester house where Jane Austen spent the last weeks of her life

No. 8 College Street in Winchester is where Jane Austen was staying in Winchester when she died, having moved to the city to be near her doctor.

Though not currently open to the public, you can still wander past and stand outside the house, where Austen, along with her sister Cassandra, stayed before she passed away. There's a plaque acknowledging the building's literary history.

Also on College Street is P & G Wells. Jane Austen’s father and brother kept an account here when it was known as John Burdon, ‘gentleman bookseller'. The shop has operated under various owners since 1729, making it one of the longest unbroken records of trading in the country. Behind the shop front installed by P&G Wells with assistance from Winchester College in 1891, the interior retains much of its original Georgian furniture, including bookshelves, drawers, printing presses and a bookbinder’s workbench.

Stroll in Jane Austen's footsteps through Winchester and beyond

Visitors can discover the city as Jane knew it with our Jane Austen's Winchester self-guided walking trail. Learn more about the people and places that marked Jane’s final weeks, guided by quotes from Jane's letters and illustrations of Georgian Winchester. It's free to download online, or you can pick up a copy from Winchester's Visitor Information Centre for a small fee.

To learn about Jane's wider Hampshire connections, visitors can also take the the Jane Austen's Hampshire trail.

For those who want to literally follow in Jane’s footsteps, the Jane Austen Circular Walk is a must. Start at Jane Austen's House in Chawton and retrace the route she would have taken across fields and through the village of Farringdon. Jane was inspired by this beautiful countryside to write, and revise, all her novels.

Jane Austen’s House runs regular Guided Village Walks around Chawton – discover the village Jane Austen knew and loved, learn about her love of nature, Chawton neighbours, the houses and views she knew, and the importance of village life in shaping her writing. Throughout the walk, short readings from Jane Austen’s letters and novels bring her world to life.

For a longer stroll, the Jane Austen Trail winds its way from the market town of Alton to Chawton village. Starting from Alton High Street, where Jane and her sister Cassandra frequently walked for shopping and entertainment, Alton is also where her brother Henry had a branch of his bank, Austen, Maude and Tilson.