Two talks and guidance from period literary expert, Jane Tapley
Key sites in Jane Austen’s life - her birthplace in Steventon and Chawton, where she spent the last 8 years of her life
Guided “Austen” tour of Winchester including the Cathedral and her last home at 8, College Street
Jane Austen is one of the world’s most famous authors, spending much of her life in historic Hampshire. The daughter of a clergyman, she was born at Steventon Parsonage in December 1775, the year the American Revolution started. The seventh of eight children, she grew up in a happy and close-knit family. It was in Hampshire that Jane found inspiration to write such classics as Pride and Prejudice, Emma, Mansfield Park and Sense and Sensibility. She died just two years after the Battle of Waterloo in 1817. This tour led by Jane Austen expert, Jane Tapley, explores her life and books at a particularly turbulent time in England’s history.
Available Departures |
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19 - August - 2021 | £ 399.00 | Travel Info Book Now |
Provisional Timings |
Day 1: Arrive independently at the Crowne Plaza Basingstoke from 15.00. This evening there will be a welcome reception followed by a private dinner with wine. After dinner, Jane Tapley will give a talk, ‘Austen’s Arcadia - The Life and Times of Jane Austen’.
Day 2: Steventon Village, Jane Austen Museum and Chawton House Library.
Our first visit is to the quiet spot of Steventon village, where Jane was born and spent the first 25 years of her life. Like Elizabeth Bennett in Pride and Prejudice, Jane was a keen walker and often walked to Popham Lane, where the family collected their letters at what is now the Wheatsheaf Inn. The family home is long gone, but we visit the 12th century church where Jane worshipped, almost unchanged from her times. In the church there are memorial tablets to James Austen, Jane's eldest brother, who took over the parish from her father, his two wives and other relations who are buried in the churchyard. Our next visit is to the Jane Austen Museum at Chawton. It was here where Jane spent the last eight years of her life, in this unpretentious cottage in Hampshire from 1809 until 1817. It was in this house that Jane’s genius flourished and where she was free to write. Lunch (included) is at Cassandras Cup Tearooms, Chawton. Next we visit Chawton House Library for a guided tour. The house was built by the Knight family in the 1580s on the site of an earlier medieval building. It was then taken over by an American entrepreneur and philanthropist Sandy Lerner in 1993, with the aim of restoring the house as an important literary heritage of women writers. Your tour is completed with tea and biscuits. After dinner at the hotel, Jane Tapley will give a second talk, ‘Rummaging Through the Reticule’, which looks at the sort of objects that Jane would have kept in her handbag.
Day 3: Winchester.
This morning we visit Winchester Cathedral for a Jane Austen themed guided tour. Final visit is to see the outside of Jane’s last home at 8 College Street, Winchester, where she died in July 1817. At the cathedral you will see Jane Austen’s grave and memorials. There will be time given for lunch (not included) and time to explore Winchester before returning to the hotel for approximately 17.00.
NB: Exact order of excursions and itineray order may vary according to local conditions and tour manager's discretion.
Please note: Post tour extra nights are available at a supplement.
Please note the maximum group size on this tour is 35 passengers.
INCLUDED
NOT INCLUDED
Crowne Plaza Basingstoke
This four-star hotel is conveniently located with easy access to the M3 and a 10 minute drive from Basingstoke train station. The hotel has a lounge bar, serving light meals, snacks and drinks, and is a nice place to relax after a long day sightseeing. The 1449 Restaurant is where breakfast and evening meals are served. Bedrooms are comfortable and cosy, with a contemporary design, and all have private bathroom facilities, TV, hairdryer, telephone and tea and coffee making facilities. Complimentary car parking is available at the hotel.
Crowne Plaza Basingstoke Website
Your host and guide is Jane Tapley, a Special Events Organiser at the Theatre Royal Bath for over thirty years – she frequently interviews and arranges events with authors to launch their books and has launched many with themes on Jane Austen. Jane arranges events during the annual Jane Austen Festival in Bath, including talks and period meals in her Georgian townhouse. She is a Blue Badge Guide and has taken many Austen fans all around the West Country in the footsteps of the famous female author.
Please note that all our UK tours start and finish at the relevant hotel.
You can normally check in from 3pm onwards but hotels will always be happy to store your luggage if you arrive earlier in the day.
For full details of how to get to the hotel, directions and the nearest train station, please click on the hotel website or call our office for details. These will also be sent automatically with your confirmation.
The welcome reception and first evening dinner / talk will commence at about 7pm - full details will be sent with your joining instructions about 10 days prior to the arrival date.
Review by Anonymous who travelled 15-August-2019
Review by Anonymous who travelled 15-August-2019
Lovely to have short coach journeys to places of interest.
Review by Tuffs who travelled 15-August-2019
Enjoyed it very much but didn't really think that there was enough content to fill the last day. Nothing organised beyond midday. We had too much free time in Winchester!
Review by Skates who travelled 15-August-2019
Tour manager and coach driver and coach were excellent. Having chosen the August tour some of the venues were too crowded for our enjoyment - a lesson learnt!!
Review by Anonymous who travelled 15-August-2019
Review by Cargill who travelled 02-May-2019
This short break was exceptionally well thought out and ran very smoothly. My daughter and I had a delightful time. I would just comment that I felt that the 'buffet' dinner at the hotel on the second evening was not really of a '4 star' standard. (Breakfasts and the evening meal on the first evening were very good). However, this is just a small thing and overall I thought the tour was good value for money. This was my third tour with Travel Editions and I intend to book again.
Review by Mansbridge who travelled 27-September-2018
Review by Anonymous who travelled 27-September-2018
Review by Anonymous who travelled 27-September-2018
Review by Anonymous who travelled 27-September-2018
Review by Anonymous who travelled 27-September-2018
All good, thanks - even the weather was kind to us! Excellent coach driver, staff at hotel consistently bright and welcoming. Only slight disappointment was having to wait for our evening meal on the first evening so we could listen to the Jane Austen talk - I think the majority of us were pretty hungry and would have preferred to listen to the talk after dinner rather than before it. Otherwise fine.
Review by Anonymous who travelled 27-September-2018
It would be useful if the leaders mobile number was made available to tour members in case of emergency during the holiday
Review by Fletcher who travelled 03-May-2018
Excellent tour. I cannot praise Jane enough. She is very knowledgeable, capable and considerate. I hope there will be a follow-up Jane Austen tour in Bath.
Review by Murland who travelled 03-May-2018
I understand that we were the first guests on this particular tour. Jane was excellent, knowledgeable and unflappable. I think she realised that some of the timings of the varies visits needed to be twice. We did send quite a lot of time waiting for halves of groups, but the weather was glorious so it really didn't matter.
Review by who travelled 03-May-2018
Excellent tour which I really enjoyed. Jane Tapley was an excellent guide and very good hotel with lovely staff.
Review by who travelled 03-May-2018
The programme was so interesting and I loved the museum with very knowledgeable guides but I felt we were not welcomed for the Lunch in Cassandra's Cup. The manager was brusque! The guides at Steventon, Chawton House and Winchester were excellent and as passionate about J.A as I am. Thank you for a lovely experience.
Review by who travelled 03-May-2018
The hotel was fantastic. Loved it. The tour to Jane Austen’s house was definitely the highlight. Just wonderful to be there. Loved also the church where her father was a vicar. Very interesting talk. And beautiful church. The Vyne was rather disappointing as only 4 rooms were open and it wasn’t certain Jane had visited there. Loved the Manor House her brother Edward inherited. Didn’t really have enough time in Winchester. Would have liked a couple of hours to look around as well as see her grave. The talks given by Jane Tapley were excellent. She is very knowledgeable. A great tour!
Review by Bedford who travelled 03-May-2018
Have to say top marks to the Crown Plaza- a great base and an excellent hotel . Food and room facilities brilliant..Everything was fantastic. Blessed with great weather and a lovely ,knowledgeable guide. Thank you Jane and Travel Editions for another great trip.
Review by Wylde who travelled 03-May-2018