Our visit this month will be to Chawton House in Hampshire. It was built in the 1580s by the Knight family and at one time belonged to Jane Austen’s brother Edward. Jane, her sister Cassandra and their mother lived at the bailiff’s cottage – now the Jane Austen Museum – in the village after the death of her father. The Library at Chawton House is now an important study centre for early women’s writing. The current exhibition in the house – Chawton in Stitches – presents the work of a graduate of the Royal School of Needlework. The garden layout was created in the early twentieth century and shows the influence of Edwyn Lutyens, a friend of the then owner, whilst the wider parkland is laid out in the style of the 18th century landscape movement. More information can be found on the website: https://chawtonhouse.org/
Look out for an email from Dianne who will be organising this visit.