In search of Jane Austen’s England, from tranquil villages to grand estates
An exploration of southern England in the footsteps of Jane Austen, born 250 years ago this month
In a peaceful valley among gentle rolling hills in Hampshire is a field much like any other in this part of southeast England. Seen through the hedgerow from a narrow country lane there’s nothing to signify it was the birthplace of one of the world’s most famous novelists. But 250 years ago, on a frosty December 16, Jane Austen was born in Steventon rectory, which stood on this site, and lived here until she was 25, more than half her 41-year life.
“Steventon is where she spent her formative years,” says Phil Howe, the convivial owner of Hidden Britain Tours and resident Jane Austen expert at the luxury hotel Heckfield Place, in nearby Hook. “It’s where she grew up and where she wrote ‘The Juvenilia’ [her childhood short stories] and her early novels.”
Along a narrow, tree-framed country lane, the 13th century church of which Austen’s father was rector still stands, as does the large yew tree inside which he hid the key. Austen would have attended her father’s services in the small stone church.
“Jane was quite devout, as a rector’s daughter would be,” says Howe. “She wrote at least four prayers.”
At the centre of Steventon, a 20th century red phone box has been cutely transformed into a Jane Austen information booth and on the outskirts, a silhouette of the novelist adorns the village signpost. But sleepy Steventon remains refreshingly free of brash tourism, perhaps helped by the narrow lanes that make it impossible to reach in larger vehicles.