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On the trail of Jane Austen, 200 years after Persuasion and Northanger Abbey

The Royal Crescent, where Jane would often walk after church - George Clerk
The Royal Crescent, where Jane would often walk after church - George Clerk

Last year marked the bicentenary of the death of Jane Austen, now the only woman, apart from the Queen, to feature on an English bank note. In the months following the author’s death, her last two complete unpublished works, Persuasion and Northanger Abbey, made their way to the printers – the title pages stamped 1818.

200 years on, Austen’s works have produced something of a cult following, as well as plenty of blockbuster films and television series – both traditional (Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility) and contemporary (Bridget Jones’ Diary, Clueless and, most recently, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies).

Today, her fans flock from around the world to the locations of some of Austen’s most memorable scenes as they try to imagine the world of which she writes – the very much romanticised late-18th century.

Period costume at the Jane Austen Festival - Credit: Getty
Period costume at the Jane Austen Festival Credit: Getty

“Oh! Who can be ever tired of Bath?”

Between 1801 and 1806, Austen's family moved to Bath (see the plaque outside 4 Sydney Place) for her father’s retirement. Hugely popular at the time with fashionable society, many made their way to the ancient city to ‘take the waters’ and the spa resort was promoted as a destination for those looking to improve their health.

The city, while mentioned in each of her novels, plays a major role in both Persuasion and Northanger Abbey and is the perfect starting point for any Austen enthusiast. A picture of Georgian elegance, the World Heritage Site is, most importantly for fans, home to the Jane Austen Centre (adults £12, children £6.20; janeausten.co.uk), celebrating her life and works.

Located in a period property, the centre houses an exhibition that promises to teach you more about Jane and her work than almost anywhere else on earth. Guides dressed in Regency costume give talks and there are plenty of activities to enjoy – including trying on a costume yourself – as well as contemporary exhibits. There’s also a Regency tea room and a gift shop.

Jane Austen - Credit: Getty
Enter the world of Austen Credit: Getty

If you happen to be in Bath over the next few days, the annual Jane Austen Festival (janeaustenfestivalbath.co.uk) is currently underway, so you may find rather more people wandering around in Regency costume than normal. There are also readings, walks, dance workshops and talks to enjoy. Plus, of course, a handful of balls to attend (Regency Costumed Masked Ball, Sept 21; Darcy’s Ball, Sept 22; janeaustenfestivalbath.co.uk/festival-programme).     

“I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading!”

For those with young literary fans in tow, the Bath Children’s Literature Festival 2018 will take place September 28 until October 7 (bathfestivals.org.uk/childrens-literature), while those with a propensity for all things Austen can start planning their outfit for next year’s Summer Ball (June 29, 2019).

If you want a simpler, decidedly less frilly way of exploring Jane Austen’s Bath, there are plenty of other options. One of the best is the free ‘In the Footsteps of Jane Austen’ walking tour and map, which takes in highlights including the Thermae Bath Spa, where you can still take the waters; Gravel Walk, the setting of one of Persuasion’s most touching love scenes; the Royal Crescent, where Jane would often walk after church; and the Assembly Rooms, a hub for fashionable Georgian society, among others.

1825: Bathers taking the waters or 'stewing' in the Roman baths at Bath in Somerset, wearing clothes and even hats to preserve their modesty. - Credit: GETTY
1825: Bathers taking the waters or 'stewing' in the Roman baths at Bath in Somerset, wearing clothes and even hats to preserve their modesty. Credit: GETTY

Fans of the BBC production of Pride and Prejudice might wish to visit nearby Lacock, which played the role of Meryton in the period drama.

When it comes to somewhere to stay, you can't beat the luxurious Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa, while Three Abbey Green presents lodgings similar to those that Jane would have stayed in – they also have the aptly named Jane Austen Wing.

Lacock - Credit: GETTY
Lacock Credit: GETTY

"A very strange stranger it must be, who does not see charms in Lyme"

If Persuasion (often billed as the most autobiographical of Austen’s novels) is your favourite novel of the two, a visit to Lyme Regis is a must. Austen visited in 1803 and 1804, and part of the novel is set there. It is one of the few real places, along with Bath, that Austen uses in her work.

The Cobb - Credit: Getty
Louisa Musgrove falls from the Cobb in Persuasion Credit: Getty

Within the narrative, Austen described Lyme as “the principal street almost hurrying into the water, the walk to the Cobb, skirting round the pleasant little bay... the Cobb itself, its old wonders and new improvements, with the very beautiful line of cliffs stretching out to the east of the town, are what the stranger’s eye will seek... backed by dark cliffs, where fragments of low rock among the sands, make it the happiest spot for watching the flow of the tide, for sitting in unwearied contemplation... where a scene so wonderful and so lovely is exhibited, as may more than equal any of the resembling scenes of the far-famed Isle of Wight: these places must be visited, and visited again, to make the worth of Lyme understood”.

If you’re keen to be shown the sights, Literary Lyme (literarylyme.co.uk) offers tours for just £10. The walk takes around 90 minutes and includes a stroll along the Cobb to see the steps that Louisa Musgrove fell from, as well as some of the inns mentioned. You’ll also see the house that Austen stayed in during one of her visits.

“If adventures will not befall a young lady in her own village, she must seek them abroad.”

While Bath and Lyme are the key locations from Persuasion and Northanger Abbey, there are plenty of other destinations around England to capture an Austen lover’s imaginations.

Stanage Edge - Credit: Getty
Stanage Edge is where Keira Knightley’s Elizabeth Bennet stands (rather seriously and mildly windswept) taking in the views Credit: Getty

Jane was born and spent much of her early life in Steventon and a walk around the small Hampshire village will undoubtedly take you in her footsteps – you’ll also find family graves in the churchyard and tablets in the small country church.

Less than 20 miles away is Chawton, where Jane spent the last few years of her life writing and revising her work. You can visit Jane Austen’s House Museum (jane-austens-house-museum.org.uk) – one of the most treasured Austen sites in England.

Jane Austen died, aged just 41, in the arms of her sister Cassandra in Winchester. She was buried in the cathedral, and you can see three memorials to her – her grave, a memorial plaque and a window.

In Pride and Prejudice, Austen declared that there is “no finer county in England than Derbyshire”. It is believed that Bakewell was the real inspiration for the village of Lambton, while Pemberley, the imaginary home of the dashing Mr Darcy, was based on Chatsworth House (chatsworth.org), which featured in the 2005 film adaptation of the novel. It is widely believed that Jane stayed at the The Rutland Arms during her visit to the area. Stanage Edge is also a popular spot with lovers of this version of the film, as this is where Keira Knightley’s Elizabeth Bennet stands (rather seriously and mildly windswept) and takes in the views.

If you want to see tangible remnants of the life of the famous author, pay a visit to the British Library in London (bl.uk) where you can see her writing desk, spectacles, manuscript, letters and a needle case.

Lyme Park - Credit: Getty
Lyme Park was catapulted to fame by Colin Firth's emergence from its lake in 1995 Credit: Getty

Of course, for those that fell in love with Austen back in 1995 as soon as Colin Firth emerged rather bedraggled from a swim in the lake, a visit to Lyme Park (nationaltrust.org.uk/lyme), home to the infamous body of water, is a must. Lyme Hall also starred as the exterior for Pemberley in the series, while the interiors were shot in Sudbury Hall.