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Pat Lerew tells us how JA250 is being marked throughout the year with special events and celebrations taking place in the county and nearby cities Jane Austen knew and loved
For all Jane Austen fans, but especially those in Hampshire, 2025 is a very important year as it’s the 250th anniversary of her birth in Steventon.
Alton and Chawton are no exception so this year Jane Austen Regency Week, June 21st-29th, will be bigger and better than ever, with record numbers of visitors expected and some ticketed events already sold out. Fortunately, several events are free or non-ticketed so can still be enjoyed by all. The welcome reception on the evening of June 20th at Alton House Hotel is one and Regency Day in Alton from 10am until 3pm on June 21st is another.
Regency Day will expand this year to cover the whole High Street from Normandy Street to Drayman’s Way, with stalls, petting animals, carriage rides, a French market, a craft market, entertainment and children’s rides. A parade will form up in the Market Square at 10.30am behind the Carriage and Horses and make its way to the top of Crown Hill where, at 11am, Caroline Knight, Jane Austen’s five times great niece will formally open the new Jane Austen Garden outside the Assembly Rooms and unveil the commemorative sculpture.
The events in Chawton on Sunday, 22nd June are all sold out but the tour and teas at Wyards on Monday 23rd still has some spaces as does the sewing and embroidery workshop at Chawton. There are tickets available for all the book readings at Goldfinch Books throughout the week.
There are also tickets available for all the events on Tuesday, 24th June, though the teatime discussion about Pride and Prejudice is selling fast. The talks and walks on Wednesday, 25th June still have tickets available and the talk about Jane Austen’s pelisse at the Allen Gallery is free while the actual pelisse is on display at the Curtis Museum throughout Jane Austen Week.
The organ recital at historic St Lawrence Church on Thursday 26th is also free as is the viewing of the Jane Austen Book Collection at Alton Library and there are tickets available for the tour of Chawton House and garden. The film Becoming Jane will be showing at Gilbert White’s House in Selborne in the evening.
Staying in Selborne on Friday 27th there is a choice of tours or sewing or visit Jane Austen’s house in Chawton for a discussion on textiles and dress. Back in Alton on Saturday, 28th June there is a children’s craft morning at Alton Library, two historian’s tours during the day and a country dance in the evening.
The final day on Sunday, 29th June starts in Chawton with a tour of Jane Austen’s House, moves into Alton for a walking tour of 19th century breweries and hostelries and concludes at St Lawrence Parish Church for Choral Evensong lead by their renowned choir.
Full details of all the events for Jane Austen Regency Week 2025 can be found at janeaustenregencyweek.co.uk
Pat Lerew
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