Winchester is throwing a year-long birthday celebration in 2025 for one of the world’s most famous authors – and Jane Austen fans from across the globe are invited to join in.
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.
Marking the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth, Winchester presents a host of special events, tours and exhibitions to celebrate the remarkable life and works of this beloved Hampshire-born novelist.
Take time for reflection at Jane Austen's final resting place
Jane Austen is buried in the north nave aisle of Winchester Cathedral under a memorial stone. Visitors are invited to leave letters and flowers next to Jane Austen’s brass memorial plaque, at the side of her grave. There are many candle stands around the cathedral, as well as quiet chapels, if you would like a quiet moment to sit and reflect.
From May, visitors with an Annual Pass will have a special opportunity to view the handwritten manuscript of Jane Austen’s poem about the death of her close friend. The Angelic Women: The friendship of Jane Austen and Anne Lefroy exhibition is located in the Kings & Scribes exhibition area. During your visit, be sure to go on a Jane Austen guided tour, offering an intimate and often amusing insight into her life and connections within the Cathedral. Families can take part in the interactive family trail, collected for free from the Welcome Desk.
If you are looking to find out more about the novels of Jane Austen, book tickets to one of the talks taking place in 2025. Professor Michael Wheeler will be exploring the openings of Jane Austen’s novels; Dr Gillian Dow will be looking in detail at the choices Austen made when concluding her fictions.
In October, Winchester Cathedral will hold the Jane Austen Anniversary Service, featuring beautiful music, readings and prayers. This will be a ticketed service; booking is not yet open.
October will also see the unveiling of the Jane Austen Statue. The Cathedral Chapter have worked in close collaboration with Martin Jennings, one of the country’s leading figurative sculptors to develop a memorial to Austen, located in the Inner Close. Date to be confirmed.
Step inside the house where Jane Austen spent the last weeks of her life
In the Summer of 2025, Winchester College will open No. 8 College Street to the public for the first time as part of a worldwide celebration of the anniversary. Through displays and artefacts, visitors will learn about the author’s connections with the city and the story of her last days. This event is sold out, but spaces may become available in the future due to returned tickets, so keep checking back.
If you didn't manage to get tickets to No. 8 College Street, the house is also hosting a Regency Embroidery Workshop. Under the expert guidance of Hand & Lock’s skilled tutors, students will create a unique design inspired by Regency-era fashion and decorative motifs. Whether you are a complete beginner or an experienced embroiderer, this course is designed to be accessible and inspiring for all skill levels.
Next to No. 8 stands Winchester College, which is staging an outdoor performance of Pride and Prejudice by the Chapterhouse Theatre Company. The performance will be in the College's tranquil Warden's Garden, with its Regency border, wild woodland, and private section of one of the most famous chalk stream's in the world providing an idyllic setting for a magical evening of theatre.
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.
Visit exhibitions and events at Hampshire Cultural Trust venues
At The Arc in Winchester, Beyond the Bonnets gives a voice to those who were overlooked by many but not neglected in Austen’s novels: working women. This unique exhibition has been specially created for her landmark anniversary year. It explores the untold stories not only of working women in her novels, but those of real-life women from Regency Hampshire, whose lives mirrored her fictional characters.
Winchester’s Great Hall will provide a majestic backdrop for a Regency Ball. The event promises an enchanting evening of dance, drinks and delicious food, as well as live music of the era, dance cards and a silhouettist for an authentic Regency feel.
For those interested in the iconic fashion of the Regency era, visit the Great Hall for a Regency Fashion Show. The evening will include models wearing Regency garments displayed on the runway, demonstrations of all the many layers of clothing for both day and evening wear, talks from experts on the subject and a chance to see Jane Austen's very own pelisse.
City Museum, just a short walk from Jane’s final resting place in Winchester Cathedral, will be hosting a summer of Austen themed events and activities. There are only a handful of items that survive today that actually belonged to Jane, and at City Museum visitors will also be able to see three of her personal possessions – two purses and her personalised ivory spool case.
Discover the cottage where all six beloved novels were created
Explore the new exhibitions and events at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton, the most treasured site dedicated to the writer in the world. Her home for the last eight years of her life and where she lived, wrote and published her novels, its anniversary line-up launched in October 2024 with the opening of a new permanent exhibition, Jane Austen and the Art of Writing, which celebrates and centres Jane Austen as a ground-breaking and ambitious writer in the very house where she created her six beloved novels.
Also new for 2025 is Austenmania! This exhibition looks back to 1995, an proved to be an astonishing year of film and TV adaptations that changed the Austen landscape forever. The exhibition will showcase two original Pride and Prejudice transmission scripts from the Andrew Davies Archive and handwritten notes on the production from the Sue Birtwistle Archive.
Following on from the Pride and Prejudice Festival in January, Jane Austen's House celebratory festival series will run throughout 2025, including Sense & Sensibility Festival (1-11 May), Emma Festival (12-20 July), Persuasion & Poetry Festival (12-21 September) and Jane Austen’s Birthday Celebration Week (13-21 December). Keep up to date with the latest ticket announcements here.
Explore the legacy of female writers at Chawton House
Chawton House was owned by Jane Austen's brother Edward and was referred to by the writer as ‘the Great House’. Under the theme Literature, Landscape, and Legacy, their anniversary programme will feature a vibrant array of events, exhibitions, and activities that thread Jane Austen’s influence through every season.
The Spring programme will include Bluebells, Blossom & Bonnets, welcoming family audiences with a bonnet-inspired kids trail in the gardens for Easter, and a series of craft workshops.
It also marks the beginning of the Sisters of the Pen exhibition, which will bring to life the rich tapestry of works by women – then and now – which shaped and were shaped by Jane Austen’s literary world. It will include beautiful first editions of Austen’s novels in the Library, a celebration of Regency-era amateur theatricals in the Drawing Room and a look at the landscape and its influence on Austen’s work in the Garden. Tickets are not yet on sale.
The Summer programme brings outdoor performances from returning and brand new companies, a film screening, and a grand celebration. Mark in your calendar 19 July for Sense & Sensibility: The Musical, produced by Elora Leger; July 31 for Emma by This is My Theatre; August 9 for Pride and Prejudice by This is My Theatre; September 6 for an outdoor screening of the 2005 Pride and Prejudice; and a spectacular Summer Ball in August. Tickets are not yet on sale.
Take a stroll in Jane Austen's Footsteps
Visitors can also discover the city as Jane knew it with our brand new 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.
A guided walk exploring Jane Austen's Winchester is among the special interest tours run by Winchester Tourist Guides, starting from the city’s Visitor Information Centre. 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.
Events celebrating 250 years of Jane Austen
CLOSES: 20th Oct 2026
CLOSES: 31st Aug 2025
Regency embroidery workshop at 8 College Street
Winchester College
CLOSES: 27 August 2025
DATE: 26 Aug 2025 - 26 Aug 2025
CLOSES: 27th Aug 2025
Letters & Ephemera in Persuasion Talk at Jane…
Jane Austen's House
CLOSES: 22 September 2025
DATE: 21 Sept 2025 - 21 Sept 2025
CLOSES: 22nd Sept 2025
The Nature of Persuasion Talk at Jane Austen's…
Jane Austen's House
CLOSES: 22 September 2025
DATE: 21 Sept 2025 - 21 Sept 2025
CLOSES: 22nd Sept 2025
‘Loving longest’: Women, constancy and care in…
Jane Austen's House
CLOSES: 22 September 2025
DATE: 21 Sept 2025 - 21 Sept 2025
CLOSES: 22nd Sept 2025
'The Lawless Land of Jane Austen' Talk
Jane Austen's House
CLOSES: 21 September 2025
DATE: 20 Sept 2025 - 20 Sept 2025
CLOSES: 21st Sept 2025
Bringing Jane Austen's Garden to Life Talk
Jane Austen's House
CLOSES: 15 September 2025
DATE: 14 Sept 2025 - 14 Sept 2025
CLOSES: 15th Sept 2025