Take a Tour of Jane Austen’s England

Any England literary tours worth their salt should include a stop at Jane Austen’s House Museum in Chawton, Hampshire. It is, after all, the most famous of the historic homes of Jane Austen. Here, Austen spent the last eight years of her life and wrote all six of her completed novels. These days, the House Museum is a repository of all things Austen, full of noteworthy items such as Jane’s personal letters, writing table, and even first editions of her novels.

You can visit before or after taking a walking tour of the surrounding village, or explore independently—Chawton is just a couple of hours outside London by car. And, while you’re in the area, head another 30 minutes west to Winchester to visit Austen’s grave at Winchester Cathedral.

Bath may have gained fame for its filming locations in recent years thanks to the popularity of Bridgerton; however, many would argue that Austen’s works are the most notable contributions to the city’s pop-culture legacy. Not only did she actually live there between 1801 and 1806, but she also set two of her novels in this part of Regency-era England: Northanger Abbey and Persuasion.

Start your Austen exploration of Bath at the Jane Austen Centre, before heading to the Assembly Rooms—a spot she frequented—and the historic building–lined streets that have been the backdrop for adaptations including Persuasion (2022) starring Dakota Johnson. Many Bath walking tours cover all of these spots and more.

Did you know?: Each June, Bath hosts the Jane Austen Summer Ball, which features dancing, dining, and—of course—lots of people in Regency-era dress. Then, in September, the Jane Austen Festival takes place there.

While many Bath and Hampshire tours include top Austen-adjacent spots—including the aforementioned—few feature Montacute House, a filming location for Emma Thompson’s Oscar-winning adaptation of Sense and Sensibility (1995). Montacute House was used as the home of the Palmers, where Marianne (played by Kate Winslet) is caught in the rain and must be cared for by Colonel Brandon (the late Alan Rickman).

In nearby Devon, just a 1.5-hour drive southwest of Montacute House, you can continue the Sense and Sensibility theme at Saltram, which stood in for Norland Park. (While you’re there, dive into the life of another famous author from England on an Agatha Christie tour.)

Just 3-or-so hours north of London, Derbyshire is the ideal place for a spot of English countryside travel—as well as for scoping out Pride and Prejudice locations. Here, you should make a beeline for Chatsworth House—the filming location for Pemberley in the 2005 Joe Wright adaptation. (The 2013 film Austenland was also filmed here.) Drive an hour south to reach Sudbury Hall, where the 1995 BBC adaptation filmed its Pemberley interiors.

However, if you want to see where that scene from Pride and Prejudice (1995)—Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy emerging from the lake—was filmed, head to Lyme Park in neighboring Cheshire and make a stop at Stanage Edge in the Peak District along the way—it served as the lookout from which Keira Knightley’s Lizzie contemplated the countryside.

Salisbury, the home of Stonehenge and a regular stop on day trips from London, is perhaps not the place you immediately think of for classic literature trips in England. However, Wilton House—which has been a filming location for everything from Outlander to The Crown—has seen many Austen adaptations, too.

Emma. (2020), Pride and Prejudice (2005), and Sense and Sensibility (1995) have all filmed here—in Emma., it became Donwell Abbey; in Sense and Sensibility, it stood in for a ballroom; and for Pride and Prejudice, it was Pemberley’s interior.

Insider tip: At nearby Stourhead, you’ll find the place where Macfadyen’s Darcy first proposed to Knightley’s Lizzie at the Temple of Apollo, while nearby Basildon Park was famously Netherfield in the same film.

Just like Bath, the Cotswolds—a county-spanning region in southern England—have become deeply associated with Austen over the years, also appearing in Northanger Abbey and Persuasion. Lacock is easily the most notable of the Cotswolds villages with an Austen claim-to-fame: Not only was it Meryton in Pride and Prejudice (1995), but it also appeared in 1995’s Pride and Prejudice. Lower Slaughter (yes, really) was seen as Highbury in Emma. (2020), as was Stanway.

Luckily, there are plenty of ways to experience the popular Cotswolds—whether your focus is on Austen or not—from luxury excursions to local-led explorations; however, private tours can be tailored to all your Austen needs.

If you’re a stan of the 1995 BBC miniseries Pride and Prejudice—who isn’t?—make your way to Belton House, Lincolnshire. Here, the stately home stood in for the insufferable Lady Catherine De Bourgh’s palatial residence, as well as the place Darcy wrote his letter to Lizzie, post–proposal (the first one).

Take a peek inside the house, or explore the formal gardens while you’re there, before taking yourself off to explore the historic (and underrated) city of Lincoln. Unfortunately though, both Longbourn and Netherfield were filmed at private properties for this adaptation: Luckington Court in Wiltshire and Edgcote House in Northamptonshire, respectively.

Persuasion is the Austen novel that the real fans ride-or-die for, and you can see where the 2007 BBC adaptation was shot in Wiltshire at Sheldon Manor—aka Uppercross. Though you can’t visit the interiors of this gorgeous property, the gardens are open for visitors. If you time your visit right, you may also be able to finagle tickets to one of the property’s summer Shakespeare productions, held annually within the grounds.

Though it’s situated some two hours south of Sheldon Manor, you should also make a point to pass through Lyme Regis if Persuasion is your Austen novel of choice. Famously, that’s where Louisa falls at the Cobb (aka the Lyme Regis Harbour).

As one of the most adapted Austen novels, there are plenty of Emma options to choose from. However, you can’t deny that the 2020 version starring Anya Taylor-Joy as the titular Miss Emma Woodhouse is a fan favorite; this particular version was shot in East Sussex, where Firle Place stood in for the exterior of Emma’s home.

If you want to visit, keep in mind that the home is only open to the public during the summer months, though you can make a full day of it by visiting nearby Brighton. Famous as one of England’s most LGBTQ+–friendly destinations, it’s a great spot for indie food tours and a popular day-trip destination from London.

Did you know?: At Leith Hill in Surrey is actually where they shot the Box Hill picnic scene from Emma.

Though Jane herself never lived here, Stoneleigh Abbey in Kenilworth was the home of her mother’s family for centuries, and she paid it a visit in 1806 alongside her mother and sister, Cassandra. It’s fairly well accepted that the Chapel in Mansfield Park is modelled directly on the Chapel at Stoneleigh, while other elements and details of the house pop up in many of her works.

If you’re interested in other Mansfield Park–adjacent destinations but can’t make it to Kenilworth, seek out Kenwood House on Hampstead Heath in London instead, which featured in the 1999 adaptation and in Notting Hill (1999).