Getting to Winchester from Bath, Reading, Southampton, Basingstoke and Chawton
As part of the Jane Austen's 250th anniversary celebrations, iconic Jane Austen locations across Hampshire and beyond will be holding special events, exhibitions, and openings for fans to visit and enjoy. No visit to 'Jane Austen's England' would be complete without a trip to Winchester, her final resting place, so discover the best ways to get here from wherever you are celebrating #JaneAusten250.
Why visit Winchester in 2025?
In 1817, Jane’s illness had progressed and she moved to Winchester under the care of Giles Lyford, a surgeon at the County Hospital. Lodgings were arranged for Jane and her sister Cassandra at No. 8 College Street, where she died just eight weeks later at the age of 41. She was laid to rest in Winchester Cathedral.
Marking the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth, Winchester presents a host of special events, tours and exhibitions to celebrate the remarkable life and works of this beloved Hampshire-born novelist. See the full programme here.
Step inside the house where Jane Austen spent the last weeks of her life, No. 8 College Street. To one side of No. 8 stands Winchester College, which is staging an outdoor performance of Pride and Prejudice in July. To the other side is P & G Wells, the bookshop where Jane’s father and brother kept an account.
Take time for reflection at Winchester Cathedral Jane Austen's final resting place. Throughout the year, they will be putting on events, exhibitions and talks before revealing the much-anticipated Jane Austen Statue in October.
Visit exhibitions and events at Hampshire Cultural Trust venues. The programme includes Beyond the Bonnets at The Arc; a Regency Ball, Regency Fashion Show, a murder-mystery night and a talk by Lucy Worsley at The Great Hall; and a summer of Austen themed events and activities at City Museum, which also houses some of Jane's personal possessions.
Visitors can also discover the city as Jane knew it with our brand new Jane Austen's Winchester self-guided walking trail. Learn more about the people and places that marked Jane’s final weeks, guided by quotes from Jane's letters and illustrations of Georgian Winchester.
Image: Buttercross and High Street, George Shepherd
Bath - Reading - Winchester
When the Austen family made Bath her home, from 1801 to 1806, the city was a thriving spa resort, popular with fashionable society. The city celebrates its association with Jane Austen through The Jane Austen Centre, which focuses on her life and works as well as the Regency period in which she lived. The city is also known for its annual Jane Austen Festival, a 10 day programme which draws over 3500 people from around the world to dress up and celebrate all things Austen. This year, the festival is taking place on Friday 12 to Sunday 21 September 2025. Find Bath's full programme of events here.
Visitors can spend time in the city before travelling from Bath Spa to Winchester (via Reading). Bath Spa railway station is a short walk from the city's major attractions. From Platform 2 you can board a Great Western Railway train towards London Paddington. You will need to change at Reading, where you can continue on your journey to Winchester via a CrossCountry service toward Southampton Central, or explore Reading and its Jane Austen connections.
From April 2025 her former school room in Reading’s Abbey Quarter, often cited as the inspiration for Austen’s Mrs Goddard’s School in Emma, will open for a series of special events and tours. Visitors can also try a Jane Austen Afternoon Tea at the 5-star Roseate Reading Hotel, located next door to Jane Austen’s schoolroom throughout May and June 2025. Find Reading's full programme of events here.
Image: Jane Austen Festival, Bath
Southampton - Winchester
Southampton was a spa town in the mid-1700s to early 1800s, and well known to the Austens who lived in nearby Steventon until 1801. Jane and her sister Cassandra briefly attended Mrs Crawley’s boarding school, lodging on the High Street, in 1783. The family later returned on the eve of Jane's 18th birthday; it is thought to have danced at the Dolphin Hotel in the Old Town. The Jane's most substantial stay in Southampton came after the death of her father in 1805. The Austen sisters and their mother lodged with Jane’s brother, Frank, in Castle Square until 1809.
Visit Southampton to see A Very Respectable Company – Jane Austen & her Southampton Circle Exhibition at SeaCity Museum. The exhibition features paintings, letters, books and personal items belonging to Jane's network of friends in Southampton. The Sarah Siddons Fan Club, named after Jane's favourite actress, also have a programme of events around the author's Southampton connections.
Visitors can take the 20-minute train from Southampton Central to Winchester to experience both cities in a day. Arrive at Platform 1 at Southampton Central and board the CrossCountry service to Manchester Piccadilly or the South Western Railway service to London Waterloo.
Image: Sarah Siddons Fan Club, Southampton
Basingstoke - Winchester
Jane Austen lived in the village of Steventon, just 7 miles from Basingstoke, for the first 25 years of her life. This brought the Austens to Basingstoke frequently, for dances at the Town Hall and to visit friends. The town and its surrounding villages are hosting many events to celebrate her 250th anniversary.
Steventon's programme includes a Regency-themed Country Fair at the site of her family's Rectory and a concert of music written by composers featured in the Austen family music books with readings from Jane Austen’s novels and letters. Visitors can also walk through the countryside she knew so well with the Overton Trails.
In Basingstoke, Lucy Worsely will be talking about on what home meant to Jane, and the Willis Musuem will showcase the exhibition Beyond the Bonnets - also displayed at The Arc in Winchester. Find Basingstoke's full programme of events here.
Basingstoke railway station is just a 10 minute walk to the town centre and trains to Winchester are frequent across multiple services. Visitors can certainly visit both within a day!
Image: The Willis Museum, Basingstoke
Chawton - Winchester
Perhaps the most popular pilgrimage site for Jane Austen fans is Chawton, her home for the last eight years of her life and where she lived, wrote and published her novels.
Jane Austen's House is celebrating with a series of festivals, each based on a different Austen novel. Be sure to explore their new permanent exhibition, Jane Austen and the Art of Writing, which celebrates and centres Jane Austen as a ground-breaking and ambitious writer in the very house where she created her six beloved novels. Also new for 2025 is Austenmania! an exhibition looking back to 1995, an astonishing year of Austen film and TV adaptations.
Chawton House was owned by Jane Austen's brother Edward and was referred to by the writer as ‘the Great House’. Under the theme Literature, Landscape, and Legacy, their anniversary programme will feature a vibrant array of events, exhibitions, and activities that thread Jane Austen’s influence through every season.
The easiest way to travel to Winchester from Chawton is via bus. A short walk from Jane Austen's House, catch the No. 64 bus towards Winchester from Chawton Roundabout. The journey will take you around 40 minutes in total.
Visiting Winchester from Chawton is a special experience for any Jane Austen fan, mirroring Jane's final journey from home to seek medical treatment in Winchester. Upon arrival, you learn about the people and places that marked her final weeks with the Jane Austen's Winchester trail, visit No. 8 College Street where she and Cassandra lodged, and pay respects at her grave in Winchester Cathedral.
Image: Jane Austen's House, Chawton
