When Winchester races first took their beginning,
Jane Austen Poem, Winchester Races
It is said the good people forgot their old Saint,
Not applying at all for the leave of Saint Swithin,
And that William of Wykeham’s approval was faint.
After a lengthy illness, Jane Austen died in Winchester at 8 College Street, a few miles from her Chawton home and is buried in Winchester Cathedral.
Jane Austen’s Life and Death
Jane was born in Steventon, a small village in Hampshire 30 miles north of Winchester. She lived there for 25 happy years until her parents retired to Bath. After a short spell in Southampton, she moved to Chawton where she wrote her novels. She had started feeling unwell in 1816, and as she started her last novel Sanditon in the early months of 1817 her condition worsened.
Jane was brought to Winchester by her family to consult a surgeon at the new Winchester hospital, Dr Giles Lyford. He could not save her, and she died in the arms of her sister Cassandra on 18 July 1817, aged 41 years old.
Marking the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth, Winchester is hosting a range of exhibitions and events to celebrate the remarkable life and works of one of our most beloved Hampshire novelists.
A Day with Jane Austen – Winchester 2025
Below are all the things that should be on your list as a Jane Austen fan in Winchester, and how to make the most your time visiting this beautiful city. I have put them in order of importance so if you are limited on time you will still see the best bits.
1. Visit Winchester Cathedral
A most special place, Winchester Cathedral was where Jane is buried. Henry wrote the words for Jane’s memorial stone, and pays tribute to “the extraordinary endowments of her mind”. In 1869, Jane’s nephew published A Memoir of Jane Austen, the proceeds of which paid for a brass plaque found on the wall near her tomb. If you look up, you can see the stained glass window dedicated to her writing. Tickets are good for one year.
The Cathedral shop and cafe is also a great stopping place just across from the doors, and they have lots of Jane Austen 250 goods you can buy this year. We usually sit outside against the walls, so dress up warmly so you can too.
2. Visit the ‘Angelic Women: The friendship of Jane Austen and Anne Lefroy’ exhibition
A special exhibition where you can view a poem written by Jane in 1808 for her close friend Anne Lefroy. Anne was a mentor to Jane, encouraging her writing and sharing her extensive library before Anne’s untimely death following a riding accident in 1804. Jane also copied out Anne’s obituary from the newspaper, which you can find amongst Lefroy family heirlooms. (Finishes 19 October)
Read more about Winchester Cathedral’s Jane Austen 250 celebrations here, including the unveiling of a new Jane Austen statue in the Inner Close.
3. Visit the Winchester City Museum
You can discover the history of Georgian Winchester at the City Museum, located in The Square. They are displaying Jane’s pelisse coat for some months, along with the permanent display of a poem written by her, sewing pieces Jane used, and a couple of purses Jane made.
Hampshire Cultural Trust will bethroughout Hampshire, and it will be at City Museum from 22 May to 16 June, and 27 July to 20 October although these dates may change.
These are some of the most precious items in Hampshire Cultural Trust’s collection and offer a unique glimpse into Jane’s personal life. Jane paid £5 for the pelisse in 1814, an expensive purchase that marked her rising popularity – and income!
4. Visit 8 College Street and the Bookshop
You will pass 8 College Street and PJ Wells on the way to Winchester College.
PJ Wells is where Mr Austen bought Jane her notebooks. Both her father and brother kept an account with John Burdon who traded here from 1757 to 1803. Now known as P&G Wells, it has operated under various owners since 1729, making it one of the longest unbroken records of trading in the country.
On 15 July, three days before her death, Jane dictated her final verses to Cassandra which was a poem about the Winchester races being rained upon by a vengeful St Swithun. Jane died in Cassandra’s arms on the morning of 18 July 1817.
While tickets to visit 8 College Street are sold out, Winchester College’s museum has many items on display relating to Jane and her family.
5. Visit Jane’s nephews at Winchester College
Winchester College’s Treasury has a fabulous display room to celebrate Jane Austen 250. It’s full of her novels and items relating to her nephew and much more. It’s FREE and only open a couple of days each week so worth checking before you visit. They also run great tours of the College, which has its own long history.
6. ARC Bonnets Exhibition
Discover the true stories of working women from Jane Austen’s life and find the parallels between fact and fiction. Follow the precarious lives of real Georgian women navigating limited opportunities and rights through their roles in domestic service, trade, education and childcare. This is a paid exhibition found inside Winchester Library. (Runs until 2 Nov 2025)
You can gush at this website where you can find out more.
How to arrive
- Winchester by car – There are three exits for Winchester off of the M3 motorway. You then follow the road straight into the city. For long term parking for the day look for Chesil Street Car Park. This is on the edge of the city so easy to entry and exit. There is also a clearly signed park and ride available.
- Winchester by train – Winchester is easy by train as it sits at the top of the High Street. This is the best way to visit, as parking can be expensive and the city has a complicated one way system.
- Winchester by coach – National Express runs a coach network from Heathrow Airport to Winchester, and you can also take a bus which brings you onto the High Street.
Lovely Links
If you can’t make it into Winchester, click here to see a readable image of Jane Austen’s poem and to learn more about it.
Winchester College Treasury
Winchester Cathedral Tickets (Save £1 when booking online and good for one year)
Find many more Jane Austen Winchester events HERE
There is a lovely Winchester City Mill by the river run by the National Trust with a lovely cafe and shop.
TAGS
Jane Austen, Jane Austen 250, Winchester, Winchester Cathedral, Winchester City Museum, 8 College Street, P G Wells, Elizabeth Bigg, Henry Austen, Madam Anne Lefroy, Poems Exhibition, ARC, Winchester Library, St Swithun’s, St Lawrence Church, Winchester College, National Trust.
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