Jane Austen & Her Life in Chawton

While still young, Jane Austen’s brother Edward was made the heir of wealthy and childless cousins, the Knights. Later in their lives, when Jane, Cassandra, and their mother had nowhere else to live, Edward Austen Knight offered them a cottage on his Chawton estate. It is from Chawton that Jane published all of her novels. The cottage where Jane lived and wrote has been preserved as Jane Austen’s House Museum, and the “Great House” that she often visited, which belonged to her brother Edward, has been preserved as Chawton House (formerly Chawton House Library). In Jane’s letters one can read about her delight in her Chawton home and visits to both the great house and the nearby village of Alton.

Working with Jane Austen experts and the local government, Alt House Media has created this documentary about Jane Austen and her life in Chawton. Thank you to Alt House Media for allowing us to share this film.