The morning’s drizzle continued into the afternoon, but our spirits were not dampened. Inviting scents of fresh rain, dried lavender, and old books drifted through the (medieval/Tudor/Victorian/renovated) halls of Chawton House. After consuming Earl Grey tea and the best lemon cake many of us have ever had, we gathered with our lovely guide (fittingly named Jane) to venture forth across the uneven floors, up and down surprise steps, and through crooked doorways. The house is meant to make you feel welcome, she noted, encouraging us to sit down anywhere we’d like.
At the beginning of our tour we learned that Chawton House has existed on its current site since at least Norman times. There are references to it in the Domesday Book of 1086. We know that after the Norman Conquest the estate was surrendered to the de Port family. It was later bought by the Knight family in 1551 and has stayed with that family ever since. Notable Knights include Thomas Brodnax May Knight (who had to change his surname twice in order to inherit Godmersham Park in Kent and Chawton House!), Edward Austen Knight (brother to Jane Austen), and Montagu Knight (Edward’s grandson who devoted a considerable amount of time to renovating the house in the late 1800s). Today the estate is still held by the Knights, but the family has let it out to Sandy Lerner, co-founder of Cisco Systems.
Lerner has a 125-year lease on the property and has set up a charitable educational foundation. She has also devoted years and money into restoring the house. Our guide estimated that she spent at least 10 million pounds, noting that the house was nearly derelict when the renovations began in 1993. According to our guide, Lerner is passionate about Jane Austen and collecting rare editions of books by female authors. The house unites these two passions due to Jane Austen’s ties to it and her extensive library collection.
On our tour we were able to view the library. There was an entire shelf with works by Jane Austen, including Pride and Prejudice, Northanger Abbey, and two volumes of her letters. A collection of poems by Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Elizabeth Gaskell’s The Life of Charlotte Bronte were also spotted lining the shelves. We were told that the library was open to the public between 9:30 a.m. and 4:45 p.m. free of charge. Excitement reverberated within several hearts at this prospect.
We spent much of the tour in the long gallery examining portraits of family members and listening to entertaining stories from their history. The long gallery also featured a portrait that will continue to “haunt [one visitor] in [his] dreams.” Just in case you were able to blot it from your memory, you can find this portrait as well as the rest of the house's collection on the library’s website. You're welcome!
We know that Jane Austen’s father was a clergyman, and while that gave the family gentry status, it did not make them wealthy or landowners. So how did Jane Austen come to be associated with this house? The following ballad* modeled after The Fresh Prince of Bel Air theme includes details from our tour and tells how a fresh heir came into the picture, thus bringing our beloved Jane to the village:
Well, this is a story all about how
Chawton House turned Jane Austen’s life around
So I’d like to take a minute
Just sit right there
I’ll tell you how she became the sister of Chawton’s heir
In Steventon, Hampshire, born and raised
Amongst her family she spent most of her days
Mailin’ out letters, sewin’ with spools
And writin’ some novels outside of school
When all of a sudden something happened- NOT GOOD!
Her father moved them to another neighborhood
The rector decided to retire and Jane got scared,
Still he said, “We’re moving to Bath with its hot springs and fresh air!”
Little did he know in Bath he’d live his final day
Then Jane, her sister, and mom would be constantly on their way
But fortuitously brother Edward had a golden ticket
His cousins the Knights said, “You can have Chawton when we kick it.”
Upper class, that’s not so bad!
Looking at Tudor gardens through stained glass?
Is this what country living is like?
Mmm… there’s even a Ha-Ha in sight!
Well, for jolly nearly ten years the women wandered about
Alas, Jane went through a writing drought until Edward sought them out
“I have Chawton Cottage, why don’t you live here?”
Jane accepted like lightning, her sadness disappeared!
She rang for a carriage and when it drew near
The cabbie helped them board and placed their trunks in the rear
If anything she could say this pleasure was rare-
Ten years in others' homes, at last no more despair!
She drew up to the house around 18-0-9
She looked at her cottage
And said to herself, “Lo, garden! Smell you later!”
She was finally there-
A writing place at the home for the sister of Chawton’s heir.
If you would like to read more (serious) details about the history of Chawton House, the Knight family, or Jane Austen, the library has an excellent history section on its website. I also posted my outline of my tour notes on google docs.
Respectfully submitted,
“Elizabethan” Elizabeth
* Please note that this ballad was composed by a partial, prejudiced, and ignorant historian.
At the beginning of our tour we learned that Chawton House has existed on its current site since at least Norman times. There are references to it in the Domesday Book of 1086. We know that after the Norman Conquest the estate was surrendered to the de Port family. It was later bought by the Knight family in 1551 and has stayed with that family ever since. Notable Knights include Thomas Brodnax May Knight (who had to change his surname twice in order to inherit Godmersham Park in Kent and Chawton House!), Edward Austen Knight (brother to Jane Austen), and Montagu Knight (Edward’s grandson who devoted a considerable amount of time to renovating the house in the late 1800s). Today the estate is still held by the Knights, but the family has let it out to Sandy Lerner, co-founder of Cisco Systems.
Lerner has a 125-year lease on the property and has set up a charitable educational foundation. She has also devoted years and money into restoring the house. Our guide estimated that she spent at least 10 million pounds, noting that the house was nearly derelict when the renovations began in 1993. According to our guide, Lerner is passionate about Jane Austen and collecting rare editions of books by female authors. The house unites these two passions due to Jane Austen’s ties to it and her extensive library collection.
On our tour we were able to view the library. There was an entire shelf with works by Jane Austen, including Pride and Prejudice, Northanger Abbey, and two volumes of her letters. A collection of poems by Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Elizabeth Gaskell’s The Life of Charlotte Bronte were also spotted lining the shelves. We were told that the library was open to the public between 9:30 a.m. and 4:45 p.m. free of charge. Excitement reverberated within several hearts at this prospect.
We spent much of the tour in the long gallery examining portraits of family members and listening to entertaining stories from their history. The long gallery also featured a portrait that will continue to “haunt [one visitor] in [his] dreams.” Just in case you were able to blot it from your memory, you can find this portrait as well as the rest of the house's collection on the library’s website. You're welcome!
We know that Jane Austen’s father was a clergyman, and while that gave the family gentry status, it did not make them wealthy or landowners. So how did Jane Austen come to be associated with this house? The following ballad* modeled after The Fresh Prince of Bel Air theme includes details from our tour and tells how a fresh heir came into the picture, thus bringing our beloved Jane to the village:
Well, this is a story all about how
Chawton House turned Jane Austen’s life around
So I’d like to take a minute
Just sit right there
I’ll tell you how she became the sister of Chawton’s heir
In Steventon, Hampshire, born and raised
Amongst her family she spent most of her days
Mailin’ out letters, sewin’ with spools
And writin’ some novels outside of school
When all of a sudden something happened- NOT GOOD!
Her father moved them to another neighborhood
The rector decided to retire and Jane got scared,
Still he said, “We’re moving to Bath with its hot springs and fresh air!”
Little did he know in Bath he’d live his final day
Then Jane, her sister, and mom would be constantly on their way
But fortuitously brother Edward had a golden ticket
His cousins the Knights said, “You can have Chawton when we kick it.”
Upper class, that’s not so bad!
Looking at Tudor gardens through stained glass?
Is this what country living is like?
Mmm… there’s even a Ha-Ha in sight!
Well, for jolly nearly ten years the women wandered about
Alas, Jane went through a writing drought until Edward sought them out
“I have Chawton Cottage, why don’t you live here?”
Jane accepted like lightning, her sadness disappeared!
She rang for a carriage and when it drew near
The cabbie helped them board and placed their trunks in the rear
If anything she could say this pleasure was rare-
Ten years in others' homes, at last no more despair!
She drew up to the house around 18-0-9
She looked at her cottage
And said to herself, “Lo, garden! Smell you later!”
She was finally there-
A writing place at the home for the sister of Chawton’s heir.
If you would like to read more (serious) details about the history of Chawton House, the Knight family, or Jane Austen, the library has an excellent history section on its website. I also posted my outline of my tour notes on google docs.
Respectfully submitted,
“Elizabethan” Elizabeth
* Please note that this ballad was composed by a partial, prejudiced, and ignorant historian.