1st January - 31st December
Jane Austen is one of Britain’s most distinguished authors, known for her six completed novels characterising life among the landed gentry at the end of the 18th century. Her skilled prose and wit continue to generate a global fan-base and have inspired a plethora of successful films and TV series.
Less well-known is the writer’s connections with Southampton, in 2025 a line-up of celebratory events is about to set the record straight!
A free, downloadable Jane Austen Heritage Walking Trail Map has been specially created pin-pointing eight key locations explaining Austen’s Southampton story.
The Jane Austen Heritage Walking Trail was launched in 2017 to commemorate Austen’s time in Southampton.
There are eight plaques each at a location associated with Jane Austen. The plaque at the beginning of the trail at Bargate marks the place where seven-year-old Jane, her sister and cousin attended a nearby school run by a Mrs Ann Cawley, only to return home again after a few weeks when the school was closed down after an outbreak of typhus. The author spent many holidays in Southampton and subsequently moved to live in the city from 1806 to 1809.