A LITERARY PILGRIMAGE: Visiting Jane Austen’s House in Chawton
A visit to Jane Austen's house in Chawton Village, Hampshire was not a sudden impulse, in fact, it has been something I have been thinking of doing for years. Most students of English Literature, like me, are introduced to Jane Austen at a particular stage in their academic life. For me this was at the University of Delhi, as I studied for my BA in English Literature. The book we studied was Mansfield Park, and I must admit I had never read Austen before this. I was amazed by the intricate details of nineteenth-century society in England. I found myself drawn to her wry social observations, which we can draw parallels within any society even to this day.
A visit to Chawton was therefore long on the cards, a sort of pilgrimage to the beginnings of an author I had long admired and owed a vast amount of my literary leanings to.
The house itself is small and unassuming, a cottage really, with small rooms and low ceilings typical of the day. The museum has been carefully and lovingly curated with objects from Jane Austen's lifetime; pages from her notebook, political commentary that showed how much of an intelligent spark she was, first editions of her books, jewellery she must have worn, a muslin shawl. Most captivating was the tiny table and chair at which she sat and wrote.
Jane Austen’s Writing Desk
Chawton, Hampshire
The house has a sense of simplicity and contentment to it; the energy is positive, bursting with a creative spirit that I hadn't expected to feel. This house is where Jane Austen lived for the final years of her life, and where she wrote and published all her novels. This is where she was cared for by her sister Cassandra and her mother, in a household that also welcomed a close friend into its quiet routine. The house exudes contentment and creativity, and I came away bursting with a fresh creative surge.
This is a must-visit for any literary or Austen lover. Do not miss it.
Jane Austen’s House in the Village of Chawton, Hampshire