Tag: Jane Austen Regency Week

Jane Austen Regency Week Tie up!

August 14th, 2018
The last few days of Regency Week went fairly quickly! Caroline Jane Knight gave another talk–this time in the great hall of Chawton House, which was interesting. She spoke of her memories of the house and had fun stories to share of her family.

Tuesday, my daughter and I didn’t have much planned so we decided to drive out a little and check out some things around the area. Our first stop was The Vyne, which looks to be an amazing house. The Vyne is a 16th century manor home in Hampshire near Basingstoke and still has the original Tudor style chapel that was the cornerstone of the tour when we went as it’s said Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn used the chapel during their visit.

They were staggering people through the house so we wandered the gardens until we were supposed to be at the door for our turn inside the house. They have a formal garden and a Summerhouse that was meant for having tea with a scenic view. We went and took pictures of the duck by the river that flowed in front and by the time we’d done that, it was nearly time for us to go in the house.

The Summerhouse

There was an upper floor at one time. Now all that’s left is the ceiling.

The grounds are beautiful.

Jane Austen is said to have gone to The Vyne. Could this painting have been inspiration?

Unfortunately, due to recent replacement of the roof, the tour is very abbreviated. Everything from upstairs had been boxed up and moved. Parts of the house that were likely a part of the tour were roped off with crates behind the ropes. We basically circled a portion of the downstairs before we ended up back outside in the gardens. Disappointed, we decided to walk back to the car a different way and let the sat nav/GPS take us this crazy roundabout way to Steventon.

Driving through Steventon was like walking back in time. There isn’t much in the way that looks new and you could almost imagine it looking the same when Jane Austen walked about as a young woman. The roads are all one lane carriageways so it’s not the fastest drive since you never know when someone will round a corner, but it’s a beautiful area!

Our first stop was the Church of St. Nicholas where George Austen was rector and later her brother James. We wandered through the inside and read the plaques and inscriptions all pertaining to the Austens and then wandered in the graveyard and looked for James’ grave. We weren’t looking for a flat marker and my daughter ended up finding it on the Find a Grave website, which helped us track it down.

Jane Austen’s brother

Afterwards, we drove around Steventon a good bit in the hopes of finding where the original Steventon Rectory once stood. A friend had given me a map but another friend claimed it was in an entirely different place than the map. I think we found the field, but I won’t swear to it whatsoever. It was still a fun day!

That evening was the open house at Jane Austen House Museum. I do enjoy going to the museum whenever I can so we joined Cass Grafton and walked down and sat in the garden for a while. Eventually, we walked over to the Greyfriar for a glass of wine!

Wednesday was sad because it was our last morning and we had to pack our belongings and drive home. I always love going to Regency Week and this year was no different. I have to thank Joan and St. Mary’s Hall for the amazing room and breakfasts while we were there!

Next up . . . Hitchin Lavender farm and Audley End
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Winchester

July 4th, 2017
During Jane Austen Regency Week several years ago, a group of us drove out to Winchester hoping to go inside the cathedral and pay our respects to Jane. Little did we know there is a flower show held ever other year at the cathedral and it was closed down the day we went to set up. I wanted to go again, but never made it back until this year. This year would normally be the year the flower show was held in Winchester, but I suppose the 200th anniversary of Jane’s death changed things a bit. Instead, the cathedral and all of Hampshire are celebrating Jane Austen.

I wish the weather had been cooler, but all of England was sweating out a heat wave for that entire week, and that Wednesday was no different. Intending to also go to the Mysterious Miss Austen exhibit, my daughter and I decided to go to the cathedral first since it was the closest. We stopped by the book bench in front of the cathedral first so I could snap a quick photo.

When we entered the cathedral, much to my surprise, my daughter was free because she is under 16 and with family. She’s at an age where she is rarely free or even reduced. She is still a student, so it’s always nice that something educational is made more affordable. 🙂

The greeters at the cathedral handed us a brochure with the best parts of the building labelled, and told us where to begin. Fortunately, Jane Austen’s grave is one of the first parts, though we had to wait for a tour to finish to actually stand close by. There are sculptures nearby and infographics that are well done and interesting, so we weren’t completely bored. Not to mention that the cathedral is beautiful and one of the most spectacular I’ve seen so far.

For people to leave messages

Plaque added later

Jane Austen’s Grave

A book was nearby where fans of Jane Austen could write a note, and I contributed–even though I tend to struggle for what to write. One of the entries on the page was simply, “You changed me forever.” which made me tear up. Jane Austen changed the lives and attitudes of so many and she never knew the influence her words had. I do think she’d be touched, but find a lot of things in honour of her a bit of a lark.

Winchester Cathedral is definitely a must see from the amazing ceiling to the graves of kings and queens on a wall near the altar. I wish we’d had more time to spend, but we were to drive home that day and I had to be there by a certain time.

Gorgeous stained glass

Remains of Kings and Queens

Down the centre.

After touring the cathedral, I walked my daughter a short ways behind to show her the house where Jane Austen died. We then walked to the library for the Mysterious Miss Austen exhibit. For those interested, it’s not large, but confined to two rooms and free to the public. Jane’s pelisse is on display as well as the original watercolour painted by her sister Cassandra as well as several derivations of that work and another drawing I’d never seen before, but was not fond of. I’m sure I’m leaving things out, but those are the bits that stick out in my mind the most.

House where Jane Austen died

I was unsure if photography was allowed, and there was a very vigilant library employee watching everyone like a hawk, so I didn’t even try. I did find the exhibit to be nice, so if you’re in the area, definitely stop by.

Unfortunately, we were limited in time, so my daughter and I hurried to M&S for a takeaway lunch and started our long drive home. Thank goodness the M-25 wasn’t crazy with traffic!

Links:

The Mysterious Miss Austen

Winchester Cathedral
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Jane Austen Regency Week 2017

June 27th, 2017
I wish I could say that I was able to experience more than I did, but personal reasons interfered and I only managed two days of Jane Austen immersion this year. 😉 I understand from those present that the Regency Day was the best yet and that despite the heat, the ball was a success, which was nice to hear, though I was sorry to have missed both. I’m not too sure about dressing out Regency in the heat wave we had at that time, but the rest would have been fun.

I arrived late afternoon on Monday the 19th and settled in, meeting up with good friend Cass Grafton, who arrived several days before. My first event was a talk by the well-known Jane Austen historian Diedre LeFaye, who spoke on Jane Austen’s life in Hampshire–primarily the places she lived and how they were depicted during her life and how the places or sites appear now. The talk was informative and the pictures were very interesting, especially of places I had visited.

St. Nicholas Church

From within the churchyard

Tuesday morning, my daughter and I walked out to Chawton and poked around St. Nicholas Church, which is near Chawton House and was the church associated with Edward Austen Knight’s estate. St. Nicholas was originally built sometime around 1270, though it was renovated and parts even re-built during the Victorian era. Most of the church was destroyed by fire in 1872 or 1873, but the chancel remained and is still part of the church that stands today. A plaque for Cassandra, Jane’s sister is still to the left of the altar and still retains scorch marks from the fire.

Interior

Scorch marks on Cassandra’s plaque

Outside St. Nicholas Church, Jane Austen’s mother Cassandra and her sister Cassandra Elizabeth are buried behind the building and almost set apart with how they are arranged.

Both graves

Her sister Cassandra

Her mother Cassandra

Tuesday afternoon, we attended a talk by Gabrielle Malcolm on “Darcy then and now,” which was interesting in how she illustrated the sources and inspirations for Jane Austen’s masterpiece and then how it has created an archetype that has carried through to modern story telling and literature.

That evening, Jane Austen House Museum held their annual open house. With the high temps, everyone walked through and after, a great many of the guests milled about in the gardens. We didn’t stay long, but walked through the house and then took the tour of the attics before heading off for dinner and to cool down.

Book Bench in front of JAHM

Marmite, the grumpy Jane Austen’s House Museum cat

Unfortunately, Wednesday meant it was time to travel home. My daughter and I did go into Winchester that morning, but I’ll save that for next week’s post. 🙂

Thanks to Joan at St. Mary’s Hall for the amazing place to stay. St. Mary’s Hall is located near The Butts and makes for an easy walk in one direction to Alton and in the other to Chawton. She is a wonderful hostess and definitely spoiled us! Maybe next year the weather will be more what we’re accustomed to!

St. Mary’s Hall
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Chawton House

July 18th, 2016
Chawton House

Chawton House was built in 1580 by John Knight and passed down through the Knight family until Sir Richard Knight, who died without male heirs. The house was then passed to Richard Martin, who then took the name Knight. The home then was inherited by Thomas Brodnax May, at which time, he changed his name as well. It was the son of Thomas Knight who was also childless and left his estate to Edward Austen, the elder brother of Jane Austen. Of course, Edward Austen added Knight to his name. This was how he had the cottage in Chawton for Jane, her sister Cassandra, and her mother to live in after Rev. George Austen’s death.

In 1987, Richard Knight inherited the property, which had gone into disrepair, and sold a 125 year lease to Sandy Lerner and Leonard Bosack, who restored the property and started Chawton House Library, focussing on early women’s writing from 1600-1830.

Now, when you go to the library, your admission and ticket is good for a year, so if there is any reason you might return, don’t lose your ticket! (I say that knocking on wood that mine is still in my purse!) The ladies at the entry were lovely and helpful and one even showed us into the Great Room and a few of its features. Her only faux pas was that she referred to my daughter as my son, which incensed my daughter. “I mean, what boy carries a pink purse, Mom!” I know it’s terrible, but I couldn’t help but giggle. After all, she would’ve been the prettiest boy I’d ever seen! The ladies were so kind that I couldn’t hold it against the one–even if my daughter did 🙂

Great Hall or Great Room

Edward Austen Knight

View from one of the downstairs windows

Anyway, don’t forget to look for the “witchmarks” to the side of the fireplace. These scratches in the wood date back to the 16th century and were meant to ward off evil spirits.

The tour takes you through a good bit of the home, has some of Edward Austen Knight’s clothing, and a great many portraits of the Knight family. The stained glass windows on the upper floor were fascinating as it seems new panes were added by each heir as they inherited the home.

Upstairs window with crests

Upstairs corridor

Gardens

I do recommend visiting Chawton House in nice weather as it is a lot of fun to walk from the Jane Austen House Museum to Chawton House and around the grounds. How often could Jane Austen herself taken the exact same walk? That is one of the things that pops in your head as you walk through Alton, Chawton, and the gardens at Chawton House.

I loved looking at the views outside of the different windows and my daughter and I took a pretty walk through the gardens. We even learned that dandelions help ripen fruit from a sign in the orchard. Chawton House is definitely a do not miss if you’re a Jane Austen Fan, but it also holds a lot for those who may not be. A great Elizabethan house, beautiful gardens and Hampshire countryside surround the home, not to mention the library!

The last stop before we explored the gardens was the library, which was a single room, but stacked floor to ceiling with old books. It is also available for research purposes to those who require it. I would be afraid to touch some of the old books for fear they would fall apart!
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Jane Austen Regency Week 2016

June 26th, 2016
I had a great time! I may not have stayed for the entire week, but I always love Alton and Chawton and this time was no different! Jane Austen Regency Week is always the third week of June, so if you travel that Friday before to get there a day early, be careful of the traffic on the M25. It’s usually dreadful, but during the Royal Ascot, it’s worse. My trip was extended by an hour and fifteen minutes due to a wreck prior to the M25 and the traffic on the M25.

Alton and Chawton are in the beautiful county of Hampshire. It’s easy to see why Jane Austen would choose to live in this part of the country when her brother gave her the choice. Chawton is idyllic and the old, beautiful cottages teeming with flowers in the gardens and roses trailing up the brick walls always renders me speechless. I love this part of England!

Regency Week always kicks off with a Regency Day and this year was no different. Attractions included stalls, petting animals, musicians, maypole dancers, and people dressed in Regency wardrobes. I manned the Austen Variations stall on my own this year, selling copies of my books as well as those of Maria Grace. I handed out free goodie-bags and even held a drawing for some great Austen related gifts.

Peddler

I shared my stall with Martyn Dell, a trustee for Jane Austen House Museum, and Jane Hurst, who is a local historian. I don’t think I ever lacked for conversation when I wasn’t talking with passers-by.

Ball

Saturday night, I attended the Regency Ball. I don’t have any pictures of myself this year, but I did manage to dance. Joana Starnes has video of the rare occurrence, if you are really curious. I will warn you it wasn’t my best dance. You were supposed to beckon your partner, and I found it awkward with a woman I barely knew. Fortunately, she had a sense of humour about it. 🙂

Sunday, I set off for Chawton to browse in the antique and crafts fair as well as sight-see. The shire horses from Chawton House Library were gorgeous as they were led through the village and the gardens at Jane Austen House Museum are lovely this time of year. I did stop by the museum to donate copies of my books to the reading room. I’m so excited to have my books there! If you’re in the area, make sure you stop by to see the Prince Regent’s copy of Emma as well as the newly acquired “Sermon’s Scrap!”

Window in Chawton House

I also finally made it into Chawton House and got to see the library. The house itself is so interesting and full of family history with the stained glass windows as well as the occasional exhibit inside. The library is incredible to see (I would love to spend a few hours browsing!), and the gardens were interesting and pretty. Tea at Cassandra’s cup rounded out my day in Chawton before I walked back to Alton.

Monday rained, unfortunately. I had hoped to drive to Winchester for the cathedral, but just couldn’t bring myself to set off in the much and wet. Instead, I had a lazy day before having a wonderful visit with Cassandra Grafton and acting as last-minute fill-in for Maria Grace’s talk.

I wish I could’ve stayed longer, but it was a busy time and I needed to get home.

Huge thanks to Joan at St. Mary’s Hall! You’re the best, hon!

I’ll cover Chawton House in more detail in the next post 🙂
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June Update!

June 6th, 2016
I can’t remember the last time I had an update! Shame on me!

Things have been crazy and hectic. I’m prepping my oldest to start high school (How do I have a high schooler already!) and another to start middle school. We swapped swim teams, and we’re trying to keep up with a myriad of other after school activities along with my own swim schedule. It’s insane some weeks!

My garden

My garden

Today, we managed to get out in the garden and clean out my planters and pots. A quick trip (and more money than I planned to spend) filled them with flowers, so hopefully, once things fill out a bit, everything will be overflowing with colour. At least I had a brilliant sunny day for it!

Goodies!

I’m also busy prepping for Jane Austen Regency Week. If you’re going on Regency Day, please stop by the Austen Variations table, which will be me this year, for a bag of goodies and to enter a drawing. I’m still hoping to add one or two more little items to the prize, so I don’t have a picture yet of that. I will say that I would love to have the basket. We have contributions from Abigail Reynolds, Maria Grace, and a few Jane Austen goodies I’ve thrown in, as well as two of Jane Odiwe’s amazing note cards. Trust me, you’ll love it!

One or two people out there might be asking “What about your next book?” 😉 Well, I have it written. My plot beta/cold reader has been through it and now the second beta is almost to the half-way point. She is patiently awaiting the next chapters since the holiday has put me a bit behind. I do plan on posting it at AHA and D&L once the betaing is near completion.

I’ve also been talking to an editor to work on this one with me. I sent the first three chapters to her last night, and we’ll see if my fingernails survive the biting until I get them back. 🙂 In the meantime, my brain is going round and round trying to figure out a title (always the worst part!) and a cover. I’m having a dreadful time finding an old portrait I like or a stock photo for that matter. Once the kids are all back in school, I’ll have a bit more time to get that all going 🙂

I hope everyone had a great spring, and you have a great summer as well. I’ll update as soon as I have a cover or a title, or news of a release date.

Oh! And because of Jane Austen Regency Week and my crazy, hectic schedule this month, Ask the Author is taking a break this month. I hope everyone will come back in July, though I don’t have a guest yet.
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Winchester, Hampshire

July 8th, 2015
During Jane Austen Regency Week, we had a free day, so a group of us ventured to Winchester to the Cathedral so we could see Jane Austen’s grave and the house where she died.

The drive in itself was lovely, and I enjoyed catching glimpses of the picturesque countryside as I drove along. Parking is simple as it was just as we came into town from A31 and we made our way to the cathedral only to find that it was closed to prepare for a flower show that occurs every two years at the Winchester Cathedral.

We were disappointed, but moved on to College Street and the home where she died where we took pictures of the house and the surrounding area as someone pounded away on a piano inside.

Wykham Arms

House where Jane Austen died

A short walk down the road was the Wykeham Arms, a pub that was once a coaching inn and was likely where a post coach carrying Jane Austen would have come into Winchester.

Street view

Guildhall

After a quick cup of coffee, we walked down to the mill and toured the old flour mill. The best part of the experience would be going downstairs to see the water wheel, and the small island behind the mill where it now resembles a garden rather than something for livestock.

waterwheel

back garden at Mill

Winchester has a great old feel and it was a lot of fun just to wander. I can’t wait for next year when the flower show is in Chichester and we can see Jane Austen’s grave! (Why does that seem strange to be excited for that?)

Up next…Lexden Earthworks and Bluebottle Grove
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Chawton, Hampshire

July 3rd, 2015
In my previous post, I went over the Alton portion of Jane Austen Regency Week and in this post, I shall cover the Chawton events and sights I was able to enjoy while in Hampshire.

It is very difficult to find anything on the history of Chawton prior to Jane Austen. The fact that she lived there from 1809-1817 seems to have taken over any search of Chawton history, yet the town is steeped in Austen whether a particular cottage housed a labourer who worked on Chawton Cottage, or you venture down to Chawton House to take a tour of the library and its gardens.

My first experience of Chawton was walking to the village for lunch prior to the walking tour I took on the first Sunday of Jane Austen Regency Week. We dined at Cassandra’s Cup, a quaint teahouse directly opposite Jane Austen’s house, and chatted until it was time for the tour.

Jane Hurst discussing the thatched cottage in the background

A Cottage in Chawton

Labourer’s cottage

The walk, given by local historian Jane Hurst, began at the underpass between Alton and Chawton and made its way through the picturesque village as she explained different aspects of the roads in the early 19th century and a multitude of cottages. Ms. Hurst is remarkably knowledgeable and able to quote Jane Austen’s letters when she explains the connections, giving you a more in-depth and personal look in to the occupant of the dwelling and their impact on Austen’s life.

We returned to Chawton on Tuesday when I was able to tour Jane Austen’s house. The experience for me was extremely moving–particularly her writing table. I could not help but take a photo of the table and her chair, but also the top, which has some small holes and is very dark, almost indicating a good deal of ink made it to the table itself.

Jane Austen’s House

Jane Austen’s Writing Table

The worn and stained top

Tuesday night at the house was a special opening and tea service. Guided tours of the attic were given, and I was thrilled to be allowed inside a part of the house rarely opened for visitors. With the narrow and confined quarters and warped floorboards on the stairs, it is no wonder they do not open it on a constant basis.

View from the Attic Window

The unfinished portion of the attic

I must say that I enjoyed wandering the house and gardens. I found it rather surreal to look out of the windows and knowing that Jane must’ve looked out and viewed a similar prospect.

Pasture as you walk up the drive to Chawton House

St. Nicholas Church

Chawton House

My adventure with Jane Austen Regency Week ended on Wednesday morning, but I had not been able to see Chawton House, the home of Edward Austen-Knight, Jane’s brother, so I drove down and parked along the roadside. I could not resist the lure of grabbing my camera and taking a multitude of pictures as I walked down the lane–until I met up with the gate since the house was closed. Not to worry though! I will see it another time!
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July Preview

July 2nd, 2015
July is upon us and it’s definitely summer here in England–I have the sunburn to prove it!

Anyway, as everyone has likely seen on my Facebook thread, I have returned from Jane Austen Regency Week with a ton of photos that I have posted. The group who attended from Austen Variations has posted their photos as well, and we will be blogging the event on the Austen Variations site over the next two weeks as well.

I have already blogged my impressions of the week here, but of course, the Expat will cover each location and a bit of the week as well. You can look forward to those.

For those awaiting Ask the Author, Maria Grace has graciously offered to answer your questions this month! Her new book, Mistaking Her Character is out at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iBooks, etc. Don’t forget to stop by and ask that nagging query you’ve always wanted to know! Call for questions goes out Monday, July 6, and Maria Grace has offered an e-book as a giveaway!

Other than the blog, I plan on writing! My calendar has cleared of travel–except for sightseeing on weekends, that is, and I look forward to attempting to get some of this in my head down in a document. We’ll see where that goes! 🙂

Hope you stop by and don’t forget to comment!

Leslie
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Hampshire: Alton and Farringdon

July 1st, 2015
The town of Alton began as a Saxon village first noted in historical record in 1101 and grew into a small market town by the 13th century. Today, it is a pleasant mix of old architecture and new with a unique feel and atmosphere. I visited Alton as a part of Jane Austen Regency Week that is held here and in Chawton during the last full week of June every year.

For those who are unfamiliar with Jane Austen’s link to Alton, Alton is adjacent to Chawton where Jane Austen lived from 1809 to 1817 with her mother and her sister Cassandra and also where she wrote the final drafts of Sense and Sensibility (1811), Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814), and Emma (1815). Although Persuasion was completed in 1816, it was not published until a year after her death (1818), the same year as Northanger Abbey.

The 2015 Jane Austen Regency Week kicked off with a Regency Day, which was very much an outdoor market environment with vendor stalls. A variety of merchandise was for sale including children’s handmade dresses, Jane Austen inspired books (I’ll leave you to guess who manned that table 🙂 ) and I believe I even saw one selling ale and cider.

Author’s table

Hoppy Horse

Sword fighting!

For additional entertainment, the Dandy Chargers glided down High Street on their “Hoppy Horses” along with a maypole dance, and sword fighting exhibitions.

Unfortunately, a muggy day (For England) and intermittent rain slowed down the people attending the event, although many still took a chance with the weather to come out and stroll down High Street where quite a few buildings boast connections to Jane Austen.

Before the Ball

Dance re-enactment

Saturday evening, a ball held in the Assembly Rooms drew quite a crowd with a group who led and helped teach the Regency dances we so commonly see in movie adaptations or read of in novels.

On Sunday, I took part in a walking tour of Chawton (I will blog about this when I cover Chawton), and attended an Evensong service at St. Lawrence Church where two of Jane Austen’s brothers preached and several of her nieces and nephews were christened. The music was lovely!

Abigail Reynolds Talk

Writer’s workshop

The last of the events I attended were an Abigail Reynolds talk at the Quaker Meeting house and a writer’s workshop also given by Abigail Reynolds at the Alton Community Centre, which were both entertaining and informative.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and so did my time in Alton. Please check back for my part of the week in Chawton. There was simply too much to put into one blog post!

Lastly, I would like to thank Kate of Old Timbers Bed and Breakfast for her wonderful cooking and for sharing her amazing old home! I was just outside of Chawton in Farringdon, which is a picturesque village and convenient (with a car of course) for access to both Alton and Chawton.

Old Timbers Cottage from the side

View from my room

Kate’s Amazing Breakfast Spread!

Next stop…Chawton and Jane Austen’s house!

For more info on Old Timbers Cottage Bed and Breakfast –
http://www.oldtimberscottage.co.uk

Sources:
http://www.janeaustenregencyweek.co.uk/jarw-events.html
http://www3.hants.gov.uk/austen/deane-parsonage/chawton-austen.htm
http://www.localhistories.org/alton.html
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