Friday 15th November 2024 – Sunday 23rd February 2025
Jane Austen’s writing desk is now on display at God’s House Tower, where it remains until February 23, as part of region-wide events to celebrate her 250th birthday.
IN TRAINING FOR A HEROINE is one of the first Jane Austen 250 events happening to celebrate her birth, starting in November 2024.
The focus of the exhibition is Jane Austen’s writing slope, a travel writing desk that Jane took everywhere with her. On show at the aptly named God’s House Tower in Southampton, it is on loan from the British Library. It is the first time the desk has been back in the city since Jane Austen lived here 200 years ago, just a stone’s throw from where she lived at Castle Square.
The travel writing slope is in a special case in the middle of the room, which feels just like a Castle, and reminders of Jane’s writing of NorthangerAbbey is everywhere..
Jane Austen’s Travel Writing Slope is the treasure of the In Training for a Heroine Exhibition at God’s House Tower in Southampton
In Training for a Heroine told the story Jane Austen as a young, ambitious writer at the beginning of her career, the travelling writing desk symbolising a world of opportunity and possibility. Extracts from Jane Austen’s letters provide an insight into her life and her time in Southampton where she lived briefly in 1783 and from 1806-1809.
Dan Crow, Director of ‘a space’ arts, which manages God’s House Tower said: “We are thrilled to host the travelling writing desk and look forward to producing an exhibition that will launch a city-wide programme of events and activities to mark Jane’s 250th birthday.
Claire Whitaker, CEO of Southampton Forward, said: “This is a great opportunity for the city. The return of Jane Austen’s desk to Southampton marks the first in a series of events which celebrate ‘Jane Austen 250’, which is part of a regional programme. “These events will celebrate Jane Austen’s deep ties to Southampton, invite different perspectives of her life and literary works and explore her writing through a contemporary lens”.
Jane Austen’s Travel Writing Slope
Mr Austen purchased the slope for Jane’s 19th birthday in 1794. It is a portable, mahogany desk, sometimes called a ‘lap-desk’, was designed to fold into a case for ease of traveling. It has a secret drawer where Jane stored her most treasured possessions, including letters and manuscripts, and her money!
Jane Austen’s Travel Writing Slope on show.. you can see up close in this photograph the damage it has sustained over time..
Almost Lost
While traveling to Dartford in 1798, she nearly lost it when the slope was accidentally put onto a carriage which was on its way to Gravesend, and the West Indies! Jane told the dramatic story to Cassandra on 24 October 1798.
I should have begun my letter soon after our arrival but for a little adventure which prevented me. After we had been here a quarter of an hour it was discovered that my writing and dressing boxes had been by accident put into a chaise which was just packing off as we came in, and were driven away towards Gravesend in their way to the West Indies. No part of my property could have been such a prize before, for in my writing-box was all my worldly wealth. . . . Mr. Nottley immediately despatched a man and horse after the chaise, and in half an hour’s time I had the pleasure of being as rich as ever; they were got about two or three miles off.
Letters, Sketches and Recorded Clips
Wall display of items relating to Jane Austen’s time in Southampton and the move to Chawton House, where the Austen ladies moved from here
God’s House Tower
Jane would have left town through God’s House Gate, at the south-eastern corner of the town’s walls. God’s House Gate is accessed from Winkle Street, inside the old walled town of Southampton. It was built in the thirteenth century and enlarged in the fourteenth, and allowed access in and out of the walled town, and led directly to Porter’s Meadow and the ferry that took her across the River Itchen.
God’s House Tower in Southampton, part of the original walls that were built to protect the city from French invasion during the Wars
TAGS: Jane Austen, Travel, Writing Slope, British Library, Letters, Regency era, Regency, Southampton, Birthday, 250th, Anniversary, Exhibition, Treasures, In Training for a Heroine.
See Jane’s Travel Writing Slope from all angles at the British Library.
I sincerely hope your Christmas… may abound in the gaieties which the season generally brings.
Christmas was a special time for Jane. December was the month of her birthday after all, which fell on the 16th in the middle of the Christmas celebrations.
All of Jane’s family and friends came together, so it was a time of celebration, balls, parties, masquerades, play acting, games and lots of food. Jane also gave gifts to the poorer members of the parish as she mentions in her letters to Cassandra.
It was a longer season than we have now, and stretched from Saint Nicholas Day on 6 December to 6 January, Twelfth Night, Epiphany, and sometimes far past this date as Jane stayed with her brothers or with friends for weeks at a time.
Since families and friends were already gathered together, it was also a time for weddings, which were often shared with other couples at the same service. As a girl, Jane was often asked to stand in as a witness, and you can see her name written in the Steventon Marriage Register.
Jane’s brother Edward married Elizabeth Bridges on Boxing Day 1791, at a lavish double wedding with her sister in Kent. Henry married their cousin Eliza on 31 December 1797 in London, no doubt inspiring the romantic endings Jane writes of in her novels.
On Christmas Day itself, Jane and her family went to Church, and whilst living at Steventon, Jane’s father Reverend George Austen would deliver the sermon. This was followed by carols and special prayers.
The congregation would have sung the same Christmas carols we sing today, including God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen written in the 13th century and published in a carol book in 1760, and The First Noel, which was actually French and written in the 14th century.
Steventon Church Christmas
The prayers said at Christmas were from the Book of Common Prayer, the same prayer book Jane’s family used.
O God, You make us glad by the yearly festival of the birth of your only Son Jesus Christ: Grant that we, who joyfully receive him as our Redeemer, may with sure confidence behold him when he comes to be our Judge; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
On returning home, the rectory was decorated with foliage, such as bay leaves and cuttings from holly bushes, trees and rosemary. It was traditional to exchange gifts marking the first day of the Christmas season. Food was plentiful and usually a goose or turkey was eaten followed by plum pudding, that would be cooked together with the villagers in the bake house.
Chawton House Christmas
The day after Christmas, Saint Stephen’s Day, was the day when people gave to charity and servants were presented with Christmas Boxes by their employers. This is why Saint Stephen’s Day is called Boxing Day today.
It was such a special time for Jane that she mentions Christmas in all her novels. John Willoughby dances from eight o’clock until four in the morning in Sense and Sensibility. In Mansfield Park, Sir Thomas gives a ball for William and Fanny at Christmas time. In Northanger Abbey, Catherine worries about what ‘gown and what head-dress she should wear’ because ‘her great aunt had read her a lecture on the subject only the Christmas before.’
The Bennets play host to their family in Pride and Prejudice, and Caroline writes to Jane saying, ‘I sincerely hope your Christmas … may abound in the gaieties which that season generally brings.’ In Pride and Prejudice, Charlotte Lucas marries, and Elizabeth writes to her aunt Gardiner, ‘You are all to come to Pemberley at Christmas.’
In Emma, Mr. Elton says, ‘This is quite the season indeed for friendly meetings. At Christmas every body invites their friends about them.’ Just as we look forward to seeing family and friends at Christmas, Emma is looking forward to a visit from her sister and her family. ‘Many a long October and November evening must be struggled through at Hartfield, before Christmas brought the next visit from Isabella and her husband, and their little children, to fill the house, and give her pleasant society again.’
In Persuasion, Jane gives us a perfect image of a happy Christmas day. ‘On one side was a table occupied by some chattering girls, cutting up silk and gold paper; and on the other were tressels and trays, bending under the weight of brawn and cold pies, where riotous boys were holding high revel; the whole completed by a roaring Christmas fire, which seemed determined to be heard, in spite of all the noise of the others. Charles and Mary also came in, of course, during their visit, and Mr Musgrove made a point of paying his respects to Lady Russell, and sat down close to her for ten minutes, talking with a very raised voice, but from the clamour of the children on his knees, generally in vain. It was a fine family-piece.‘
All of these events give us a wonderful insight into Jane’s Christmas season.
Christmas Letters to Cassandra
In a Christmas Eve letter to Cassandra, Jane says that she enjoyed a ball held that week and lists her charitable giving of what to whom. Many of Jane’s plays written for the family survive, and in 1787 the children staged a full length production which included cousins and friends.
Jane wrote to Cassandra on 7 January 1807. ‘When you receive this our guests will all be gone or going; and I shall be left to the comfortable disposal of my time, to ease of mind from the torments of rice puddings and apple dumplings, and probably to regret that I did not take more pains to please them all.’
As Jane would say at the end of her letters, ‘I wish you a cheerful and at times even a Merry Christmas.’
Asks the young Catherine Morland, when she first enters the city of pleasures, which Bath was in the late 18th Century.
Jane visited Bath as a girl as many of her relations lived in or close to the city. The Austen family moved here permanently after Mr Austen’s retirement in 1801. Jane was 25 years old, and would parade at the Royal Crescent, pray at St Swithin’s Church where her parents married, dance at the Upper and Lower Assembly Rooms, and eat too many Bath buns, as she mentions in one of her letters.
As much as Jane didn’t really like living in Bath and her writing stalled whilst living in the city, she set two of her novels in Bath, NorthangerAbbey and Persuasion. Little has changed since then, and much of the city’s architecture and buildings are the same as when Jane saw them, so it’s a delight to visit for ten days each year when fellow Jane Austen fans descend on the city.
Jane Austen Festival Bath
The Jane Austen Festival in Bath is an annual event held each September that celebrates everything about Jane Austen. This year it runs from 13 to 22 of September 2024 for 10 days which covers two weekends.
The first weekend is the most popular as it starts on Saturday with the Regency Parade and an opening Ball in the evening. A variety of Jane Austen events are held throughout the week, and there are more dancing events on the second weekend. In 2025, there will be additional balls held in the summer and monthly through to Jane’s birthday on 16 December. These are being themed to each of her novels.
The parade is one of the highlights of the week as hundreds of Jane Austen fans dress up in Regency fashions and set out to parade the streets of Bath. Soldiers set up camp in the grounds of the Holburne Museum and lead the parade whilst playing soldier tunes from that period. Spectators line the streets as the soldiers play, so it’s a wonderful way to start the celebrations.
The Regency Ball is held on the first Saturday at the Assembly Rooms where Jane danced. Practice dancing sessions run through the work, which is well worth signing up for, as some of the dances are complicated. You can also find partners and friends for the evening.
There are walks, talks, theatre shows, regency markets, author talks, walks, tours, and crafting events (as in bonnet making or needlework) which you can find on the website (https://janeausten.co.uk)
Ten Top Tips for the Jane Austen Festival Bath
1. Sign up for the early bird emails
And buy the tickets as soon as possible. They sell out quickly, with the dancing events and Balls usually going within a couple of hours. You can become a Friend of the Festival, although it doesn’t guarantee tickets.
2. Go on the walking tours first
Go on the walking tours first. Sign up for the first one when you arrive so you can find out the Jane Austen ‘highlights’. It is also a good way of getting to know the layout of the city when you arrive.
3. Visit the Jane Austen Centre early in the morning when it is less crowded
It gets very busy so the early you arrive the better. You can also take tea on the top floor before or after your visit, and buy something from the Jane Austen shop whilst you are waiting.
4. Dress up
I know lots of people who sewed up a dress from an online pattern, added a ribbon and bought a bonnet when they arrived. It doesn’t have to be fancy, and will get you into the spirit of things as you parade with other Jane Austen fans around the city.
You can also rent an outfit from places like Molly Limpets and have the outfit fitted when you arrive.
5. Make friends
We usually book to go to some of the first events to make friends and find out where everyone is staying. In previous years someone arranged a meeting place in a hotel lounge so if anyone was alone or at a loss, there was somewhere to meet other Jane Austen fans. Facebook and Meet Up is also good for this.
6. Sign up for the ‘other’ Jane Austen events
These days there are less book launches and author talks arranged by the Jane Austen Centre (which is a business rather than a charity). See Facebook, Waterstones or independent bookstore websites, and the library website to see what else is going on. You may also find free events this way.
7. Book early
If you can image hundreds of Jane Austen fans descending on a city it does get busy. If you want tea and cake in the Jane Austen Centre, or lunch at the Pump Rooms, then it’s a good idea to book early.
8. Have a plan
We usually run through the brochure when it arrives and decide what we want to do. We allow plenty of free time to walk between venues and take breaks. You may find the events that sold out quickly have additional dates added, so keep checking the website.
9. Timing is everything
If you only have one weekend, pick the first one. The Regency Walk is a great event that kicks off the week. Everyone goes, and you can meet other Jane Austen fans. The Balls sell out quickly, so you could arrange to eat with other Jane Austen fans together in the city.
10. Be prepared
It will probably rain, even a little bit, so pack an umbrella and a light jacket. Bath is a big city with events taking place at venues around the city, so think about shoes. Most of the city is cobbled with a few hills thrown in, so pack your dainty shoes into a bag and change into them when you arrive.
As some events are held outdoors, bring something to sit on like a picnic rug with a waterproof backing. I have a travel towel I fit into my purse as it’s light and handy when sitting on benches or walls.
How to arrive
Bath by car – There is an exit for Bath off of the M4 motorway if you are coming from London. You then follow the road straight into the city. For long term parking for the day look for Charlotte Street Car Park. There are three park and ride facilities which run regularly into the City.
Bath by train – Bath Spa is the train station. Depending where you arrive from, you usually have to change at Bristol, though it’s 15 minutes from there. National Rail is the most popular website for trains in the UK.
Bath by coach –National Express run a coach network from Heathrow Airport to various locations, which is also an option from London although it will take a lot longer to arrive.
If you have any questions or comments, please add them below and I will answer them as best I can.. and most of all – have fun! We can’t wait to see you there.
“Her hair, so untidy, so blowsy! ..Yes, and her petticoat; I hope you saw her petticoat, six inches deep in mud. I am absolutely certain.- Pride and Prejudice
Chawton House Library 28 April to 4 September 2022
Did Jane Austen play sport? It looks like she did. She mentions playing cricket with her nephews, and was an expert with the cup and ball (if that could be classed as sport?!) and played games with her many nieces and nephews.
A Costume of Sport considers the typical physical exercises enjoyed by women in the Regency period, and what they wore whilst doing it, from cricket and riding to sea bathing using horse-drawn machines.You can also see the typical sporting pursuits that the gentry and the family held in the grounds of the house over the centuries.
I love visiting the ‘Great House’ as Jane called it. Walking up the long drive, you can see the small window above the door where Jane would sit and watch the visitors arriving. The large wooden door opens into a hallway that takes you into the Great Hall. Climbing the old wooden stairs at the far side, you can find the exhibition rooms on the top floor.
BATHING IN SANDITON
In the entrance to A Costume of Sport, your eyes are immediately drawn to the red gown in the corner. Miss Charlotte Heywood wore this bathing dress and matching cap in the UK TV series of Sanditon.
Charlotte Heywood and her Bathing Costume Worn in Sanditon (Photograph Authors Own)
Sam Perry who was inspired by the fashion plate called “Sea Bathing in Scarborough” made it, which you can see in the adjoining cabinet. The photograph next to it shows Charlotte laughing whilst wearing the dress and swimming in the freezing water!
Rose Williams as Charlotte Heywood Swimming in Sanditon (Photograph Authors Own)
The boards on either side of the room tell you about Regency women Riding, Bathing, Walking, playing Cricket and a variety of other sports. Quotes around the room are from Jane’s novel Northanger Abbey which she wrote in her teens which has Catherine rolling down grassy hills.
Other quotes are from Jane’s novel Pride and Prejudice where Elizabeth walks across the fields to see her sister, “Her hair, so untidy, so blowsy!.. Yes, and her petticoat, … six inches deep in mud, I am absolutely certain and the gown which had been let down to hide it, not doing its office.”
Sport at Chawton House
We know that Jane’s brothers and nephews enjoyed hunting with their friends, and the second room of the exhibition is themed “Sport at Chawton House”.
There is an old framed family tree drawn by hand and you can use the magnifying glass to follow the lines of the Knight and Austen family. The open books date from the 19th century and contain paintings of both women and men at the hunts and playing sport alongside the old cricket bats used by the family.
In one of the cabinets on the far side you can see an oval ladies pill box decorated with both women and men playing cricket which is especially lovely.
The old pattens on display are what ladies wore to keep the mud off their shoes. Although these did not belong to Jane, they look like the ones that she wore in the winter. (Pattens are like flat pieces of wood in a shoe shape with a strap over to hold them onto your feet).
Patten Shoes to Protect Regency Shoes from Mud (Photograph Authors Own)
Women in the Arts
Going through to the Oak Room themed “Women in the Arts” you can see a selection of large impressive paintings of talented female writers and artists.
I love this room as it has the little alcove where Jane would sit and watch people and carriages pass by and who would be coming up the drive. There is a wonderful painting in this room of Lady Catherine who really was quite stunning.
Regency Clothing (Photograph Authors Own)
The Long Gallery
The last part of Costume of Sport exhibition is in the Long Gallery. The cabinets in are opened and show novels that date from 1744 through to 1976 and in-between. I particularly like the novel Cecilia by Fanny Burney that Jane loved to read that is shown here in five volumes.
The Long Gallery Where Jane Austen Walked to Exercise at Chawton House Library (Photograph Authors Own)
Overall, this is a really well pulled together exhibition who show us that women did participate in sport and outdoor pursuits, and enjoyed doing so. The information boards tell you all about each topic at that period in history with the relevant items on display underneath.
The history found here in the exhibition is uplifting, and some of the items are rarely found on display and quite exquisite. I think you will love it.
Okay, I’m off downstairs now for some sumptuous cake and tea, and to buy some goodies from the shop. Now where is that quill necklace..?!
Jane Austen Quill Necklace from Chawton House Library Shop (Photograph Authors Own)
The exhibition runs from 28 April to 4 September 2022 and is FREE with your entry ticket (valid for 12 months) which you can buy from Chawton House Library WEBSITE
On 23 June there is a Curator Tour taking place as part of Regency Week which you can BOOK HERE
Jane Austen is known as the beloved author of Pride and Prejudice, Emma, and other witty and romantic novels. What is less known is that Jane was a deeply religious person who was devoted to God.
For the first time, Jane Austen’s prayers have appeared in print, in her own beautiful handwriting. The introduction talks about Jane’s early life, her upbringing surrounded by clergymen, her homes, her novels, and her death at such a young age. Jane was a deeply religious person and devoted to God. “A whole family assembling regularly for the purpose of prayer is fine” is a line Jane includes in Mansfield Park, and you can imagine her reading the prayers with her family at home.
‘Prayers written by my ever dear sister Jane’ is written on the fold of the prayers, treasured by Cassandra until her death. The full manuscripts are on each page with the text on the opposite page for easy reading. A beautifully illustrated book that any Janeite would love.
* A portion from the sales from Jane Austen’s Prayers will go to support Chawton House Library. What Jane called the ‘Great House’. You can find out more about the charity and their work here
Jane Austen’s Prayers is introduced by Emma Darlington.
It is 25 years since we first saw Colin Firth and the famous lake scene in Pride and Prejudice
A life sized cake was unveiled to celebrate 25 years of the BBC’s adaptation of Jane Austen’s most popular novel, Pride and Prejudice.
Sue Birtwistle wrote the script over an eight year period, and she already had Colin Firth in mind from a previous project. Colin initially turned it down, and it took lots of persuading and a sensational script to get him to sign up. The story was brought to the screen by Andrew Davies, who also wrote the Sanditon script, and people are often surprised to find that the lake scene is not in the book.
The filming took six months, and Colin fell in love with his co-star Elizabeth, played by Jennifer Ehle. By the time Pride and Prejudice was on air, it was called an ‘affair’ and they parted on friendly terms.
Lyme Park was used as Mr Darcy’s Pemberly home in the show, and the lake the sight of the famous scene where Dracy swims in the buff. At least that was in the script. It was so cold on the day, Colin decided to keep his shirt on – and that was that!
Success of Pride and Prejudice
The BBC adaptation became the biggest costume drama success story in the corporation’s history. It was watched by millions of viewers, and the first batch of 12,000 videos sold out in two hours.
Colin was in Italy filming The English Patient, another winning film, when Pride and Prejudice was aired from 24 September 1995. Upon his return, extra security had to be laid on at the airport and he was genuinely shocked at how popular the show had been.
The show was nominated for six BAFTAs, including Best Actor for Colin and Best Actress for Jennifer Ehle, who won on the night.
Useful links
Lyme Park is owned by the National Trust and is a lovely day out in the North of England. They often have Jane Austen events and Regency Days where you can dress up and be your own Elizabeth or Mr Darcy.
