Chawton House

Chawton House makes the perfect compliment to a visit to the Jane Austen House whilst in Chawton. An easy, pleasant 10 minute walk from the Jane Austen House, Chawton House helped provide a fuller glimpse of the life and times of the Austen family, and manor life. Upon entry to the house a generous gentleman provided an overview of the history of the house and its significant occupants, from construction through the ongoing restoration and upkeep process. He met us again in the library at the end of our walk through the house to provide even more information on the Chawton’s vast collection of valuable books. The house has an interesting interior and lovely walkable grounds with a variety of colorful plants and flowers blooming. The cafe is worth a stop with some nice treats and pleasant seating in the courtyard. Be sure to stop by the church on the walk toward the house, where Jane Austen’s mother and sister were both laid to rest.

The last time I visited Chawton, this house wasn't open to the public. Now it is, and it's well worth the visit, especially if also visiting the Jane Austen House. A beautiful Elizabethan manor house, with fascinating interpretive material. The Cafe was also first class, I recommend the Chawton House cider! Very friendly, informative staff.

Chawton House was a new discovery and we fell in love with its charm and beauty. It's easy to imagine Jane Austen promenading around the walks and parkland. Parking is easy - once you've found the car park and there are plenty of spaces.

A beautiful old house including lots of Jane Austin's story. We were welcomed by a verywell informed guide, who also showed us the library. Pleasant gardens for a nice walk before a good cuppa in the tearoom.

Beautiful house related to Knight and Austen's family. Wonderful gardens too. The historical explanations by Peter Mayor was excellent! Totally recommend. Also the tea and scones was delicious.

An unexpected gem as it 'suffers' from being near the more popular Jane Austen House. But it's just as important in telling her story. Home to a massive women's literature librays too, it's history is fascinating. It's a place also you could still imagine living in. We ran out if time, so likely to visit again. Worth the half mile walk between the two.

What a lovely place ! Didn’t go in the house but the gardens are delightful, huge rolling lawns with expansive areas of woodland. There is a large walled garden with a herb section, orchard and a separate flower garden. It has a relaxing and quiet feel, not completely wild but allowed to grow without excessive interference by the gardeners (hope that doesn't offend them !) Benches appear wherever you may want to rest and appreciate the views and stumps mark the different zones as shown on the map ... picked up at the coffee and ticket kiosk. These marker stumps all have Jane Austen quotes from her letters and novels; a smile at every stop ! Coffee and cakes are served in the tearoom which is through a small but perfectly formed courtyard. Apparently, food other than cake is available for those who don't like cake (wierd, I know !). Be prepared to take photos, this is a particularly beautiful part of Hampshire.

Lovely visit! Helpful staff with insight and understanding of the family/house history. Don’t miss the library! Beautiful Gardens and delicious tea room!

This is for the house, not the library, as unfortunately we did not have time to see the library during this visit (but it is on the list of things to make time for on a future visit). This was our first time visiting a manor house, and it was amazing. From first walking to the end of the driveway/carriageway and seeing the house for the first time, I was enchanted. Everything is so well-preserved and/or restored so as to give a good sense of what it would have been like to have lived there in Jane Austen's time (they do recognize most of their visitors are Jane Austen fans, but really, if you have any interest in English country estates or manor houses, you can appreciate this house's history and beauty). The staff and volunteers are very passionate and knowledgeable, and they will share as little or as much as you want them to. The gardens are also peaceful to walk through, and worth the time. They also have The Old Kitchen Tearoom. We had not had a chance to eat that morning, so were pretty hungry by the time we finished the tour before walking through the gardens or down the road to Jane Austen's house. The tearoom was pleasant, with both indoor and outdoor seating available. It was a nice day, so we sat outside, and the small courtyard that makes up the outdoor seating was beautiful. We had the egg and bacon brioche sandwiches, which perfectly hit the spot and gave us the energy we needed for our future walks that day. In the future, I would just make sure to make Chawton a full day trip. Yes, it is a village and there is not a lot overall, but this house alone offers so much that you really need to give yourself the time to appreciate it. We were there for about 2 hours, but could have easily spent another 1-2 hours depending if we wanted to spend more time in the gardens, see the library, and/or see the church (which we did try to see, but was locked when we visited). Thank you to the Knight family for opening up your property for us to see, and to all those who have ensured over the years that this place is accessible to appreciate!

Just a short walk (five minutes) up a pretty country lane from Jane Austen's cottage in Chawton, you will find a stately surprise in the form of a Tudor manor house, built in the 1500's. Chawton House and estate were owned by Jane's wealthy brother. She called it "The Great House". Today it is a working educational site (the Centre for the Study of Early Women's Writing, in partnership with the University of Southampton), yet is open to the public and a must-visit for Austen fans. Chawton House is one of the Knight estates inherited by Edward Austen, who was lucky enough to be adopted by rich relatives in need of an heir. He changed his surname from "Austen" to "Knight." The manor house interior has been beautifully restored. There is a church on the grounds (Jane's mother and sister are buried in the church yard) - and an attached farm. This grand house is probably where Jane spent a lot of time with family when she needed to get away from the cramped cottage. By the way, it's only recently that Chawton House been available for public tours; it has been a private facility for some 20 years. Happily we can now tour both the interior and the gardens. [Note: if you want to see one of the Pemberley-style estates Jane's brother inherited, go to the palatial Godmersham Park in Kent. Jane would have frequented this house, to visit her brother's family, as well. It's not quite Downton Abbey - but almost!] Finally, for Austenites, it's worth noting that Jane is buried inside Winchester Cathedral; and you can see the house where she died, not far from the Cathedral grounds. Winchester is only 15-20 miles from Chawton.

Just a lovely place to be. So full of history relating to the Austen family..that completely overwhelms you, if you are receptive to such feelings. It is a centre for Early Womens Writing covering a period from 1600 1830, and is open for visits and study. Director of Development, Eleanor Marsden and her team have done a fantastic job. Most people know of Jane Austen, but few understand the writers who influenced her and her writing. Chawton House also houses a farm that is run on an 18th Century basis. Not far from Jane Austen's House, which is also open as a museum. It is open for garden tours, conferences, study and relaxation. Well worth a trip..

Beautiful and inspiriting. The guides were friendly and knowledgeable and allow visitors to take their own photographs. We even got to view the impressive Chawton house library, which you have to ask to enter. The house has such great history and I especially enjoyed the ties to the Jane Austen family. The grounds are lovely. I could have spent two days here!