Hampshire &amp; Isle of Wight

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1125" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2025/07/WInchester-Cathedral-Jane-Austen-exterior.jpg" alt="Jane Austen Winchester Cathedral Hampshire" class="wp-image-37648" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2025/07/WInchester-Cathedral-Jane-Austen-exterior.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2025/07/WInchester-Cathedral-Jane-Austen-exterior-800x600.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2025/07/WInchester-Cathedral-Jane-Austen-exterior-1000x750.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2025/07/WInchester-Cathedral-Jane-Austen-exterior-768x576.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



Along with her writing and family, Hampshire was one of Jane Austen&#8217;s great loves, especially the countryside village of Steventon where she grew up and her beloved cottage in Chawton. Suffering from illness, in 1817 the great writer moved for the last time to Winchester, where she spent her final days.



250 years since her birth, Winchester is celebrating its connections to Jane Austen with special events, tours and brand new exhibitions to celebrate the beloved Hampshire-born novelist. Here&#8217;s what to see on the Jane Austen Winchester trail, including her final home in the city, newly opened to the public in Summer 2025.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-no-8-college-street-jane-austen-s-last-residence-in-winchester">No. 8 College Street &#8211; Jane Austen&#8217;s last residence in Winchester</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1125" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2025/07/Jane-Austen-No-8-College-Street-exterior.jpg" alt="No. 8 College Street Winchester Jane Austen's final home" class="wp-image-37642" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2025/07/Jane-Austen-No-8-College-Street-exterior.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2025/07/Jane-Austen-No-8-College-Street-exterior-800x600.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2025/07/Jane-Austen-No-8-College-Street-exterior-1000x750.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2025/07/Jane-Austen-No-8-College-Street-exterior-768x576.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Image: Heidi Ruge</figcaption></figure>



Marked with a blue plaque, <a href="https://www.winchestercollege.org/visit-us/jane-austen" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">No. 8 College Street</a> was previously a private residence belonging to Winchester College. Just five minutes&#8217; walk from Winchester Cathedral and converted by the College, it&#8217;s a rare chance to experience where she lived and wrote her last letters and poem. 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1125" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2025/07/Jane-Austen-No-8-College-Street-quilt.jpg" alt="Embroidered quilt on the wall at No. 8 College Street - Jane Austen's last residence in Winchester" class="wp-image-37643" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2025/07/Jane-Austen-No-8-College-Street-quilt.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2025/07/Jane-Austen-No-8-College-Street-quilt-800x600.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2025/07/Jane-Austen-No-8-College-Street-quilt-1000x750.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2025/07/Jane-Austen-No-8-College-Street-quilt-768x576.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Image: Heidi Ruge</figcaption></figure>



Inside the downstairs rooms, a portrait of Jane hangs above the fireplace and there are beautiful tapestries on the walls. Upstairs, in rooms that would likely have been rented to other lodgers, there are displays about the Austen family. It includes a few inside stories about the antics of Jane Austen&#8217;s six nephews, the Knight boys, who all attended the venerable Winchester College.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="750" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2025/07/Jane-Austen-No-8-College-Street-1000x750.jpg" alt="Winchester College No. 8 College Street - Jane Austen's last residence in Winchester" class="wp-image-37644" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2025/07/Jane-Austen-No-8-College-Street-1000x750.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2025/07/Jane-Austen-No-8-College-Street-800x600.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2025/07/Jane-Austen-No-8-College-Street-768x576.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2025/07/Jane-Austen-No-8-College-Street.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Image: Heidi Ruge</figcaption></figure>



Largely confined to the top two rooms at the front of the house, the Winchester College curators have created an appropriately simple, contemplative space in Jane Austen&#8217;s final, historic Winchester home which she shared with her sister Cassandra, with portraits above the fireplaces and a quote from Jane on the wall. 



<a href="https://www.winchestercollege.org/visit-us/jane-austen" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ticketed visits to No. 8 College Street</a> cost £12.50. Other items associated with Jane Austen will be on display in Treasury, the Winchester College museum, until the end of the year. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-winchester-cathedral-jane-austen-s-final-resting-place">Winchester Cathedral &#8211; Jane Austen&#8217;s final resting place</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1125" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2025/07/Winchester-Cathedral-interior-nave.jpg" alt="Winchester Cathedral nave" class="wp-image-37646" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2025/07/Winchester-Cathedral-interior-nave.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2025/07/Winchester-Cathedral-interior-nave-800x600.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2025/07/Winchester-Cathedral-interior-nave-1000x750.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2025/07/Winchester-Cathedral-interior-nave-768x576.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Image: Heidi Ruge</figcaption></figure>



Jane Austen died on 18 July 1817, aged 41 years old. She was laid to rest in the magnificent <a href="https://www.winchester-cathedral.org.uk/event/ja250/">Winchester Cathedral</a>. 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1125" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2025/07/Winchester-Cathedral-Jane-Austens-grave.jpg" alt="Winchester Cathedral Jane Austen's Grave" class="wp-image-37645" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2025/07/Winchester-Cathedral-Jane-Austens-grave.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2025/07/Winchester-Cathedral-Jane-Austens-grave-800x600.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2025/07/Winchester-Cathedral-Jane-Austens-grave-1000x750.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2025/07/Winchester-Cathedral-Jane-Austens-grave-768x576.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Image: Heidi Ruge</figcaption></figure>



After paying tribute at her final resting place in the north nave aisle, visit the Cathedral&#8217;s new exhibition: ‘Angelic Women: The friendship of Jane Austen and Anne Lefroy&#8216;. Previously unseen and loaned exhibits shine a light on Jane Austen&#8217;s relationship with her close friend and mentor.



<a href="https://www.winchester-cathedral.org.uk/welcome/plan-your-visit/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tickets to the Cathedral</a> cost £14 and allow subsequent entry for the rest of the year. Entry to the Angelic Women exhibition is included in the annual pass.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-jane-austen-s-pelisse-coat-at-winchester-city-museum">Jane Austen&#8217;s Pelisse Coat at Winchester City Museum</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="612" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2025/07/Jane-Austen-pelisse_14-612x1000.jpg" alt="Jane Austen Pelisse Winchester City Museum" class="wp-image-37641" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2025/07/Jane-Austen-pelisse_14-612x1000.jpg 612w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2025/07/Jane-Austen-pelisse_14-489x800.jpg 489w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2025/07/Jane-Austen-pelisse_14-768x1255.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2025/07/Jane-Austen-pelisse_14-940x1536.jpg 940w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2025/07/Jane-Austen-pelisse_14-1253x2048.jpg 1253w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2025/07/Jane-Austen-pelisse_14.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 612px) 100vw, 612px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Image: Visit Winchester</figcaption></figure>



One of only a handful of items that survive today that actually belonged to Jane Austen, this elegant Pelisse coat will be on display close to the Cathedral at <a href="https://historicwinchester.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Winchester&#8217;s City Museum</a> from 27 July – 20 October, along with two purses and her personalised ivory spool case. 



Dating back to around 1814, the luxury silk coat cost around £5 (the equivalent of around £500 today) was a bit of a splurge by the usually frugal writer, likely bought after her hit novels&nbsp;Pride and Prejudice&nbsp;and&nbsp;Sense and Sensibility&nbsp;had been published. 



<a href="https://historicwinchester.co.uk/choose-tickets" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tickets to Winchester City Museum</a> cost £8 for an annual pass. Lover of Regency fashion? Check out catwalk looks of the day with a ticket for the <a href="https://historicwinchester.co.uk/whats-on/regency-fashion-show/">Regency Fashion Show</a> on 26 July 2025 at Winchester&#8217;s Great Hall.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-beyond-the-bonnets-exhibition-of-working-women-in-jane-austen-s-novels-at-the-arc-winchester">Beyond the Bonnets exhibition of Working Women in Jane Austen&#8217;s novels at the Arc, Winchester</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="735" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2025/07/Beyond-the-bonnets-1000x735.jpg" alt="Beyond the Bonnets exhibition of Working Women in Jane Austen's novels at the Arc, Winchester" class="wp-image-37647" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2025/07/Beyond-the-bonnets-1000x735.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2025/07/Beyond-the-bonnets-800x588.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2025/07/Beyond-the-bonnets-768x565.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2025/07/Beyond-the-bonnets.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Image: Hampshire Cultural Trust</figcaption></figure>



Shifting the focus from her famous heroines, this new Winchester exhibition <a href="https://www.arcwinchester.org.uk/event/beyond-bonnets-working-women-jane-austens-novels" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Beyond the Bonnets: Working Women in Jane Austen’s Novels</a> tells&nbsp;the untold stories of working women in Jane Austen&#8217;s novels and real-life women from Regency Hampshire whose lives mirrored her fictional characters. Among them, much loved Knight family nursemaid Susannah Sackree and Basingstoke-born landlady and entrepreneur, Mrs Mary Martin.



<a href="https://www.arcwinchester.org.uk/event/beyond-bonnets-working-women-jane-austens-novels" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Beyond the bonnets: Working Women in Jane Austen’s Novels</a> runs from 26 July &#8211; 2 November 2025 at The Gallery at The Arc Winchester. Tickets cost £5.45.

Jane Austen 250: Inside the writer’s final Winchester home

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