Jane Austen fans everywhere find a myriad of ways to celebrate the author and her legacy. We read and re-read her novels (and other works), debate film and TV adaptations, and discuss ad nauseum with other Janeites. (There is no shortage of us…) However, some lucky Austen fans are able to actually travel to see the places where she lived, wrote, and snarked. I thought today I would share some of the places that you can visit to walk in her footsteps (some I’ve seen, some I hope to see). These are my must-visit places for Jane Austen fans!
Jane Austen in London
While Austen did not live in London, she did visit the capital many times. Her brother, Henry Austen, lived in London for a time and she would often visit him. And as you would expect, she would do all of the things that young ladies do in London. When you look up Jane Austen in London, you will get lists of museums that hold various items including the British Museum and the National Portrait Gallery. However, if you want to walk where Austen actually walked in London…
23 Hans Place; 10 Henrietta Street
Henry lived at both of these places in London and Jane came to stay with her brother at both of them. 23 Hans Place is in Knightsbridge and is a terraced house on a garden square in a very fashionable area of London. 10 Henrietta Street is in a very different area of London, close to Covent Garden. However, both places have a blue plaque celebrating the author.
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
Austen was a great lover of the theatre. As I shared in my Five Authors Who Inspired Jane Austen post, Jane and her family loved Shakespeare. In addition to reading his plays, the family would often perform parts of them in their own amateur theatricals at home.
In 1814, Jane and her sister-in-law, Eliza, went to see The Merchant of Venice at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. There has been a theatre on the site since the 1660s (when King Charles II’s Restoration court celebrated the theatre) but the theatre standing today was built in 1812- meaning that Jane herself visited the theatre!
Jane Austen in Bath
Jane Austen first visited Bath in the late 1790s and then lived there from 1801 to 1804. While she enjoyed the elegant spa city in 1797 and 1799 when she was visiting short-term, she was not a major fan of the city when she permanently moved there in 1801 after her father retired. Still, both Northanger Abbey and Persuasion are set in Bath- there clearly was a lasting impact. And you can find several places that Jane spent time at while in Bath still standing today!
The Upper Assembly Rooms
The Assembly Rooms were the place to be in Bath (and other British cities) in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. You of course could go dancing there, but there was also card-playing and general chatting. The Upper Assembly Rooms are currently closed as of the time of writing (mid-2025) but are to be reopening under the National Trust in 2027. It has been restored to its Regency state and truly feels like you are stepping back into the period.
The Pump Room
The Pump Room is in the Abbey courtyard and is the centre of Bath and is right beside the Roman Baths. The building was built from 1789 and 1799 and is the stereotypical Neo-Classical architecture that you see in much of Bath. Patrons were able to drink the water that fills the Roman Bath which was considered to have healing properties. (You still actually can if you feel so inclined.) Because so many people went to Bath to help heal their various ailments, this was an exceptionally popular stop. (You visit the Pump Room during the day and the Assembly Rooms at Night!) If you are a Northanger Abbey fan, you will recognise this as one of Catherine and Henry’s meeting spots.
The Gravel Walk
My Persuasion lovers will definitely recognise the Gravel Walk, a large public walking path in Bath. Anne and Wentworth take their own walk down the Gravel Walk and end up engaged by the end of it. However, it would have been familiar to anyone in Bath at the time, as promending (aka going for a walk) was an exceptionally popular pastime and the Gravel Walk is in a beautiful part of Bath. (It links the Royal Crescent with Queen’s Square.) If you find yourself in Bath, absolutely take a wander.
Jane Austen in Hampshire
Austen lived in Hampshire for the last eight years of her life. She spent much of her time in Chawton, specifically at Chawton House, with most of her time dedicated to writing before she became ill. I’ve not been able to visit these sites yet but hopefully will be later this year!
Winchester Cathedral
Jane was buried in Winchester Cathedral after her death in July 1817; you can find her final resting place in the north aisle. She arrived in Winchester in May that year to seek medical treatment for her ever-worsening symptoms but sadly passed shortly thereafter. Her family chose to have her buried in the cathedral where she remains today.
Jane Austen House Museum
Austen spent much of her time in Hampshire living at Chawton Cottage, a seventeenth century home. After her death, the home would eventually be split into multiple dwellings for local workers. However, in 1947 it became the Jane Austen House Museum! Close to 50,000 people visit the museum each year to see where Jane spent her final years writing.
What are your must-visit Jane Austen sites?
Cheers,
The Historian
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