Chawton House

Chawton House Known to Jane Austen as 'the Great House'. Beautiful estate with tearoom, gardens & Austen heirlooms.

Chawton House Library is a charity with a unique collection of books focusing on women's writing in English from 1600 to 1830. This specialist collection, set in the home and working estate of Jane Austen's brother, provides the opportunity to study and savour the texts in their original setting and inspires passion in readers of all ages.

You can still book tickets to see The Handlebards perform Shakespeare's As You Like It this Sunday 7th June.🎭What’s the ...
03/06/2026

You can still book tickets to see The Handlebards perform Shakespeare's As You Like It this Sunday 7th June.

🎭What’s the play about? Well – Rosalind and her cousin Celia flee to the Forest of Arden, where they bump into Rosalind’s love interest Orlando. However, Rosalind is disguised as a young man. Cue some local Shepherds getting involved and the stage is set for a wild ride of wooing, hilarious mistaken identity and the odd wrestling match.

To book tickets, just head to www.chawtonhouse.org/whats-on/outdoor-theatre-the-handlebards-as-you-like-it/.

This performance is part of our wider Summer of Shakespeare theatre programme, including Othello performed by The Lord Chamberlain's Men on Saturday 11th July. In August we will also have performances of Romeo & Juliet and A Midsummer Night's Dream. Keep your eye out for more details soon!

Image: Tom Dixon

We’re delighted to announce the recipients of our 2026 Chawton House Fellowships, including this year’s British Associat...
02/06/2026

We’re delighted to announce the recipients of our 2026 Chawton House Fellowships, including this year’s British Association of Romantic Studies (BARS) Fellowship and the Deirdre Le Faye Fellowship for Austen scholarship.

Our Summer and Winter cohorts will explore a fascinating range of topics, from female creativity at the Georgian court and women’s philosophical writing, to Brontë juvenilia, marriage law reform, the reception history of Pride and Prejudice, and women’s collaborative literary culture.

These Fellowships have been made possible thanks to the generous support of the Ardeola Charitable Trust and BARS.

Please join us in congratulating our Fellows — we look forward to welcoming them to Chawton House later this year.

Find out more about their research here: https://chawtonhouse.org/2026/05/2026-visiting-fellows-chosen/

Join our Monthly Patchwork and Stitched Textiles Club, running alongside our exhibition HomeMade Histories: Letters, Ar...
02/06/2026

Join our Monthly Patchwork and Stitched Textiles Club, running alongside our exhibition HomeMade Histories: Letters, Art & Embroidery.

The second session will be on Friday 5th June! This club is for anyone who has started their patchwork and stitching journey recently, or has been doing it for years. You are welcome to bring along ongoing projects or start something new to complete.
It is a great opportunity to meet new creatives working in the same discipline as you, and bounce ideas off of each other!

To book, just head to https://chawtonhouse.org/whats-on/monthly-patchwork-club-2/

Help us conserve one of the treasures of Chawton House: our rare 1746 map of London by John Rocque.Created just decades ...
27/05/2026

Help us conserve one of the treasures of Chawton House: our rare 1746 map of London by John Rocque.

Created just decades after the Great Fire of London, Rocque’s map was revolutionary in its detail and accuracy. Our copy is especially unusual — transformed from 24 separate prints into a spectacular Regency-era folding screen.

But time, light exposure and historic repairs have left it fragile and at risk.

Thanks to generous support, we’ve already raised most of the funds needed for specialist conservation. We now need just £2,000 to complete the project and preserve this extraordinary object for future generations.

This much-loved map is seen by thousands of visitors every year, and conservation will also help us develop new ways to display, interpret and digitally share it.

Donate today and help bring this remarkable piece of London’s literary history back to life:
https://app.donorfy.com/donate/MDEL7CE193/RoqueMapConservationFund

To make the most of the gorgeous weather, our Bank Holiday second-hand book fair is staying up all week at Chawton House...
26/05/2026

To make the most of the gorgeous weather, our Bank Holiday second-hand book fair is staying up all week at Chawton House, so you can still browse for your next great read until Friday.

Children can enjoy outdoor games and explore our two garden quiz trails:
🐝 The Nature Detectives Trail
🥕 Vegetables & Herbs Trail

The Walled Garden, in full bloom, is looking especially beautiful right now, while the Wilderness offers cool, shady paths that are perfect for exploring during the heatwave, and you can cool off with an iced coffee from the Old Kitchen Tearoom.

All activities are free with Garden entry, so come and enjoy some fresh air, flowers, books and family fun this half term.

Open daily, 10am–4.30pm.

Happy Bank Holiday Sunday!Come and join us today on the South Lawn, 10am-7pm - books galore, a pop-up museum, plus kids ...
24/05/2026

Happy Bank Holiday Sunday!
Come and join us today on the South Lawn, 10am-7pm - books galore, a pop-up museum, plus kids crafts & games, two garden trails (for Garden ticket holders), and a delicious BBQ in the evening sun, 5-7pm.

Fresh for the Bank Holiday weekend, two brand new recipes from the 18th-century Knight family cookbook for you to try. F...
23/05/2026

Fresh for the Bank Holiday weekend, two brand new recipes from the 18th-century Knight family cookbook for you to try. For the bakers, this recipe for Bath Caraway Cakes is one of several variations in the book. Those of you after something slightly more medicinal may enjoy this rather unusual recipe for 'Artificial Asses Milk'. Donkey milk was historically prized for its nutritional value and efficacy in treating ailments like coughs. We suspected this vegetarian recipe would be preferable to 'snail milk'...

We'll be trying these at home - let us know how you get on too!

🎭 Shakespeare is coming to Chawton House!Join the wonderfully inventive HandleBards on Sunday 7 June for the first event...
22/05/2026

🎭 Shakespeare is coming to Chawton House!

Join the wonderfully inventive HandleBards on Sunday 7 June for the first event of our Shakespeare Summer: a hilarious outdoor performance of As You Like It, performed by the four-strong troupe who travel the country by bicycle with all their props, costumes and set in tow. 🚲

Expect romance, mistaken identity, wrestling matches and plenty of laughter. Bring a chair or blanket, pack a picnic, and settle in for an unforgettable evening of theatre in the grounds of Chawton House.

📍 Performance: 5pm (doors open 4pm)
🎟 Adult £20.50 | Under 21 £13 | Under 12 £5

Book now: https://chawtonhouse.org/whats-on/outdoor-theatre-the-handlebards-as-you-like-it/

Looking for something to keep little explorers busy this May Half Term? 🌿☀Join us at for two fun family garden trails:🐝 ...
22/05/2026

Looking for something to keep little explorers busy this May Half Term? 🌿☀

Join us at for two fun family garden trails:

🐝 The Nature Detectives Trail
🥕 Vegetables & Herbs Quiz

Discover fascinating facts about flowers, insects, plants and wildlife as you explore the Gardens together. Perfect for curious minds and budding gardeners!

Trails are FREE with Garden entry throughout May Half Term.

Come along, enjoy the fresh air, and see what secrets you can uncover in the garden... 🌸

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Chawton
Alton
GU341SJ

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+441420541010

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