Winchester is throwing a year-long birthday celebration in 2025 for one of the world’s most famous authors – and Jane Austen fans from across the globe are invited to join in.
Jane Austen’s story
Jane Austen was born on 16 December 1775 in the Old Rectory in Steventon which, sadly, no longer exists, but the county has plenty more to tempt Austen fans. Hampshire was not only her birthplace, but its people, and the society in which she moved, provided inspiration for many of her novels.
Jane’s life was interrupted when the family moved to Bath following the retirement of her father, but after his death the Austens returned to her beloved Hampshire, settling in Southampton then Chawton.
When illness struck, she moved to Winchester under the care of Giles Lyford, a surgeon at the County Hospital. Lodgings were arranged for her and Cassandra at 8 College Street. She was finally laid to rest in Winchester Cathedral at the age of just 41.
Marking the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth, Winchester is set to stage a host of special events, tours and exhibitions to celebrate her remarkable life and works.
Step inside the house where Jane Austen spent the last weeks of her life
In the Summer of 2025, Winchester College will open No. 8 College Street to the public for the first time as part of a worldwide celebration of the anniversary.
Jane Austen came to Winchester in May 1817, to seek medical treatment from a surgeon at the county hospital. With her sister Cassandra, she took lodgings in College Street, a part of the city already familiar to the Austen family. No fewer than eight of Jane’s nephews were pupils at Winchester College and the school is often mentioned in her letters.
Despite her failing health, Jane continued to write, composing her last poem just three days before her death. She was buried in Winchester Cathedral and her final journey was movingly described by Cassandra, who watched the funeral procession from the windows of No. 8. Through displays and artefacts, visitors will learn about the author’s connections with the city and the story of her last days.
Take time for reflection at Jane Austen's final resting place
Jane Austen is buried in the north nave aisle of Winchester Cathedral under a memorial stone. They will be honouring the author's memory with a special service, theatre performances, tours, and the unveiling of a statue in the Cathedral close.
The manuscript of poem ‘To the Memory of Mrs Lefroy’ will also be exhibited for the first time, written by Jane in 1808 on the anniversary of her friend Anne Lefroy's death.
Visit exhibitions and events at Historic Winchester venues
Hampshire Cultural Trust are celebrating the landmark anniversary with exhibitions and events around the county, including the Beyond the Bonnets exhibition, at The Gallery in The Arc. The exhibition gives a voice to those who were overlooked by many but not neglected in Austen’s novels: working women.
Winchester’s Great Hall will also host a Regency ball and fashion show in summer 2025, while City Museum displays two of Jane Austen's purses and her personalised ivory spool case.
Discover the place where all six beloved novels were written
Explore the new exhibitions and events at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton, the most treasured site dedicated to the writer in the world. Her home for the last eight years of her life and where she lived, wrote and published her novels, its anniversary line-up launches in October 2024 with the opening of a new permanent exhibition, Jane Austen and the Art of Writing.
For 2025, new events will include themed festivals based around her novels Pride & Prejudice, Sense & Sensibility, Emma and Persuasion. Visitors can also explore the sunny Drawing Room, where she read Pride and Prejudice aloud to a neighbour on the very day she received her first copy, and the vibrant green Dining Room, complete with the little table where she sat to write all her famous works.
The village is also home to Chawton House, owned by her brother Edward and known to the writer as ‘the Great House’, which will be marking the anniversary. Visitors can through the grounds, see Austen heirlooms, such as the dining table at which Jane would have enjoyed family meals, and explore the historic collection of early women’s writing.
Take a stroll in Jane Austen's Footsteps
During this anniversary year there will be a new Jane Austen trail around the city which will highlight key locations and connecting them with exhibitions and special events. A guided walk exploring Jane Austen's Winchester is among the special interest tours run by Winchester Tourist Guides, starting from the city’s Visitor Information Centre. Visitors can also enjoy a self-guided tour across Hampshire with the Jane Austen Trail.
For those who want to literally follow in Jane’s footsteps, the Jane Austen Circular Walk is a must. Start at Jane Austen's House in Chawton and retrace the route she would have taken across fields and through the village of Farringdon. Jane was inspired by this beautiful countryside to write, and revise, all her novels.
Jane Austen’s House run regular Guided Village Walks around Chawton – discover the village Jane Austen knew and loved, learn about her love of nature, Chawton neighbours, the houses and views she knew, and the importance of village life in shaping her writing. Throughout the walk, short readings from Jane Austen’s letters and novels bring her world to life.
For a longer stroll, the Jane Austen Trail winds its way from the market town of Alton to Chawton village. Starting from Alton High Street, where Jane and her sister Cassandra frequently walked for shopping and entertainment, Alton is also where her brother Henry had a branch of his bank, Austen, Maude and Tilson, and he often visited it from London.
Find out more about Jane Austen's Hampshire
Go to the Visit Hampshire website to find out all you need to know about the county's must visit attractions, towns, cities and locations which are connected to the famous writer.
Jane Austen’s travelling writing desk is going on display in Southampton for the first time since she lived in the city more than 200 years ago. It will be displayed from November 2024 until February 2025 in God’s House Tower, just a stone’s throw from where she lived during her time in the city.
A series of events are planned for 2025 in Steventon, including Jane Austen's Country Fair on Sunday 6 July on Pump Field, the site of the rectory in which Jane Austen was born and spent the first 26 years of her life.
Alton will host its annual Regency Week in June, with talks, guided walks, workshops and a Regency Ball. The town will also be creating a Regency-style garden in memory of Jane Austen.
Events celebrating 250 years of Jane Austen
CLOSES: 2nd Nov 2025
CLOSES: 30th Aug 2025
CLOSES: 26th Jan 2025
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CLOSES: 25th Jan 2025
CLOSES: 29th Jan 2025
Waking Up The House Tour at Jane Austen's House
CLOSES: 25 January 2025
DATE: 24 Jan 2025 - 24 Jan 2025
CLOSES: 25th Jan 2025
CLOSES: 24th Jan 2025