There’s no shortage of quaint, quiet, and oh-so quintessential villages within easy reach of the capital city. But if you’re a literary-loving Londoner that’s always dreamed of having a nosey around the very spot in which Jane Austen scribbled down her most celebrated stories; there really is only one direction you should be heading in. And that, my friends, is towards the charming village of Chawton.
This teeny-tiny village looks as though it could have jumped straight off the pages of – well… a Jane Austen novel, I suppose. It’s picture-perfect, filled with history (with its first mention being in none of other than the Domesday Book of 1086), and really will transport you straight back in time. Home to approximately just 445 people (when I said teeny-tiny, I really did mean it); Chawton is nestled within the rather gorgeous South Downs National Park – and is surrounded by some pretty stunning scenery. You wouldn’t know that you’re just 90 minutes from the chaos of the capital city, that’s for sure.
Things to do in Chawton
The list of things to do in Chawton isn’t particularly extensive. But I guess that’s part of the charm of it; it’s the perfect retreat from city life. Chawton’s main attraction is, unsurprisingly, its literary links. Jane Austen’s House (AKA Chawton Cottage) sits slap bang in the middle of the village, attracting bookworms and bibliophiles from across the globe. The house is where she lived for the last eight years of her life, and it’s where she wrote all of her most notable novels. Jane Austen’s House boasts an unparalleled collection of treasures, including furniture, paintings, personal letters, items of jewellery, and even first editions of her novels.
Up the road, you can visit Chawton House – an impressive Elizabethan manor house, garden, and library that used to belong to Austen’s brother, Edward. Being a quintessential English village; Chawton is also home to a church, a primary school, a traditional tearoom (Cassandra’s Cup), a pub (The Greyfriar), and – of course – a village hall. And really, what more do you need?
Getting to Chawton from London
Chawton is around an hour and a half’s drive from central London. Non-drivers, fear not, as Chawton is easily accessible by public transport. You can hop on a direct service from London Waterloo to Alton, and either take a leisurely stroll or catch a local bus from there into the village of Chawton.