Jane Austen needs no introduction. One of Britain’s greatest literary exports, her cannon of work has become immortalised in countless onscreen adaptations earning the author a popularity that has far outlasted her short life. For Austen novices: she is known primarily for her six major novels, which critique the British gentry at the end of the 18th century. Her plots, using irony and humour, often focus on the dependence of women on marriage in the pursuit of favourable social standing and economic security. Sadly, her novels were published anonymously and brought her only moderate success and fame during her lifetime. Austen’s books include Sense and Sensibility (1811),  Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814) and Emma (1816). She wrote two additional novels, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion, both published posthumously in 1818, and began another, eventually titled Sanditon, but died before its completion – it has just appeared on British television. 

In August, my brothers and sisters and I (all fans of Austen) decided to stay on a series of ‘wilderness’ cabins run by Jane Austen’s estate, in Chawton, Hampshire. The cabins lie in a field, with a sheep meadow on one side and a field of deer on the other. They are a delightful retreat, especially for a city-dweller like me. There was no wifi – which is pretty terrifying these days – and I was awoken each morning by my screaming nephews and nieces, enjoying the delights of the countryside.

Five minutes away is the Jane Austen’s House Museum, the house where Jane Austen lived and wrote for the last eight years of her life. She moved here in 1809 with her mother, sister Cassandra and friend Martha Lloyd after a period spent living in lodgings. The house was owned by Jane’s brother Edward, who had been adopted by the wealthy Knight family and had since inherited the Chawton Estate. The house – a 17th century building – was offered to the women rent-free for life.

The trip to Jane Austen’s house was wonderful. A sunny day and visitors from all over the world made the house and garden come alive. Here I am dressing up as Mr Darcy in Jane’s old parlour. Writing with a quill is harder than it looks!

And this is Jane’s desk, where she wrote Pride and Prejudice. A true piece of literary history.

On the walls of her home are tributes from the great and the good, including this letter from Winston Churchill, a fan.

And this is a sample of Jane’s own handwriting. I have to say, as a writer, I was strangely moved. 

Jane Austen died on 18 July 1817 after a period of ill health. She never married and had no children yet lived a full life nonetheless. Her impact on world literature cannot be understated.

It was a wonderful trip and one I thoroughly recommend.