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Jane Austen: Southern England
Combining Jane Austen’s Hampshire and Kent Landscapes short tours into one 10-day holiday
This is an adventure into the world of Jane Austen, places where the author herself lived or visited and places of inspiration for her novels. Enjoy fragrant gardens, thatched country villages and small parish churches. We’ll explore the regal estates used for recent film versions of her works. We’ll sample local favorite dishes, regionally made wines and ales and have lovely experiences off the beaten track, meeting the locals. Our tour will visit some highlights of the English counties of Hampshire and Kent, all worthy attractions in their own right, with the fun bonus of exploring their Jane Austen connections. Along the way, enjoy literary connections to a few other great British writers and the iconic towns of Winchester, Salisbury, Bath and Canterbury.
Tour Dates: 12 - 21 June, 2012
Tour Rates: $3599 USD per person; $3999 USD single rate
What your tour price includes: Your accommodation for 9 nights while on the tour including both full breakfasts and 6 dinners. Your price also includes entrance fees to listed attractions, transportation, services of driver/guide-companion and all taxes and tips other than those you may wish to give your guide.
TENTATIVE ITINERARY
Day 1 Tuesday
We depart London, our destination being Hampshire, ‘Jane Austen Country.’ We will travel to our first village of interest, Steventon, where Jane Austen spent her first 25 years. We will explore the small parish church where her father was a clergyman including the churchyard where her brother and his family lie. This quiet, peaceful place is like stepping back in time.
The Tudor manor house The Vyne, visited by King Henry VIII on at least 3 occasions, is also on the day’s agenda. The house is filled with an eclectic mix of fine furniture, portraits, textiles and sculpture. The attractive gardens feature an ornamental lake, woodlands and flourishing wetlands, a haven for wildlife and water fowl. This was the home of the Chute family, friends of the Austens, and Jane and her sister often visited for dances and to play cards. The dances held here would have been intimate affairs, ones of great contrast to the lavish balls Jane would later attend in Bath. We can see the portrait of the Chute’s adoptive daughter Caroline, said to be the inspiration for Fanny Price of Mansfield Park.
Next, Jane’s home at Chawton, now open as a museum. It was in this quaint village that she spent the majority of her later years and where she wrote or completed most of her most famous works, Sense & Sensibility and Pride & Prejudice amongst others. Once inside the house, we are in her world. We’ll also enjoy the village itself and the cottage gardens that Jane and her sister lovingly tended.
Our accommodation for the next two nights, subject to availability, is an Edwardian manor house set in 12 acres of beautiful gardens between Winchester and the coastal town of Southampton.
NIGHTSTOP: Chilworth area, Hampshire
Day 2 Wednesday
Today we’ll explore the ancient Saxon capital of Winchester. Our time here will include a guided walk around the city, seeing the cathedral where Jane Austen is buried, one of England's most famous public schools and the place Jane last called home, where she passed away in 1817.
We’ll also enjoy touring around New Forest and the seaport of Southampton, where Jane Austen lived for 2 years following the death of her father. We’ll explore the ancient city walls, said to be a favorite walking spot for Jane, and a few local landmarks well known to her. It is thought that the Portsmouth scenes in Mansfield Park are modeled after her experience of local life in Southampton.
Dependent upon time and interest, we might also enjoy a stop at Houghton Lodge, set alongside the River Test on a tranquil, rural estate. Often used by film crews, this is a fine example of a late 18th Century cottage garden. Here is a woodland wildlife walk along the river, a lovely walled garden, orchid house and a Peacock Topiary garden.
NIGHT STOP: Hampshire, as above
Day 3 Thursday
During our day, we’ll visit in iconic Salisbury. Here we can pay our respects inside the stunning gothic cathedral and see one of the greatest pieces of writing, the Magna Carta.
Wilton House is a great choice on our theme and truly one of the country's treasure houses. Here, experience nearly 500 years of history as you wander through its magnificent rooms, marvel at its architecture, soak in its fine paintings and spectacular gardens. Wilton House is often used as a location for period films thanks to its sumptuous interiors. Fans may recognize some rooms as “Pemberley” from the 2005 Keira Knightley Pride and Prejudice. The ‘double cube room’ is particularly popular, also appearing in Stanley Kubrick’s Barry Lydon, Madness of King George, Judi Dench favorite Mrs Brown and most recently in Young Victoria.
This afternoon, we will make our way to Bath, the city of Georgian splendor and Roman antiquity. Upon arrival, your guide will be on hand for an orientation walking tour of Jane Austen’s city. This place was enjoyed by the social set of the 18th and 19th centuries, a setting for Jane Austen amongst many other writers; Austen fans will immediately recognize several streets and squares from her novels such as Northanger Abbey and Persuasion. You can also see places where the author herself lived.
During our stay, you’ll have free time so you can explore Bath as you please. We highly recommend time in the Roman Baths and Pump Rooms, the Jane Austen Centre or you could simply wander the lovely tea rooms and antique shops - the choice is yours!
Dinner is not included tonight for flexibility’s sake.
Subject to availability, our Bath accommodation is a Georgian townhouse with a re-created Regency garden opened exclusively for guests. These gardens were inspired by the writings of Jane Austen and, along with meticulous historical research, all plantings were specifically chosen as ones that Jane or one of her characters would have enjoyed.
NIGHT STOP: Bath
Day 4 Friday
Touring to Lyme Regis far from the madding crowd, we will explore a bit of countryside well known to Thomas Hardy. The counties of Hampshire, Wiltshire and Dorsetshire are ones where time literally seems to have stood still since the days of Jane Austen and Thomas Hardy.
Jane Austen's Lyme Regis is sure to be one highlight of our day! We'll spend time exploring this part of Britain's 'Jurassic Park' and perhaps find a fossil along the shoreline nearby. Lyme Regis was a popular sea spa town and the site of many Austen family holidays. The town looks much as it did when Jane spent time here, and sites from Persuasion are recognizable.
Also today, Stourhead Gardens, featuring one of the world's finest 18th Century landscape gardens including a magnificent lake, classical temples, enchanting grottos plus rare and exotic trees. The Temple of Apollo here was featured in a memorable scene between Elizabeth and Mr Darcy in the 2005 film Pride and Prejudice and should be recognizable to fans.
NIGHT STOP: Bath, as above
Day 5 Saturday
This morning, some free time to linger in the splendors of Bath.
Later, make your way to the medieval village of Lacock, which has hardly changed in the past 200 years. With its magnificent abbey, half timbered cottages and greystone houses, it provides a perfect setting. This lovely place, where TV ariels, telephone wires and advertising are banned, has been used as a film set for many popular films such as the Colin Firth/Jennifer Ehle production of Pride and Prejudice, the BBC series of Cranford and Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.
Jane Austen attended school at the Reading Ladies Boarding School in the Thames Valley, an area set amidst unforgettable countryside that surely would have contributed to her development as a writer, an area that you will be passing through en-route back to London.
Dinner in not included tonight for flexibility’s sake and the opportunity to attend the theatre.
NIGHT STOP: London (accommodation included in your package)
Day 6 Sunday
We will make our way out of the city into the marvelously scenic countryside of Kent, a region dotted with oast houses and sometimes blooming lavender fields, an area that rightfully holds the title “The Garden of England.” We’ll travel via the old coaching route, a path well known to Charles Dickens and Chaucer’s pilgrims, along an ‘olde’ London high street and through some charming local Kentish villages to two lovely estates.
We’ll see Westerham, a village mentioned in the Domesday Book and a place with connections to Winston Churchill and General Wolfe of Canada. Nearby is the 17th Century manor house Squerryes Court, home to the Warde Family since 1731. This was the main filming location for the recent BBC mini-series of Jane Austen’s Emma. The estate features attractive formal gardens and parklands with fine views of the surrounding countryside. Originally laid out in 1700, the current gardens are designed following the 18th Century plan as a guideline and feature rich borders, parterres and avenues.
Finchcocks is a Georgian manor set within 13 acres of lovely gardens and parklands, home to a fine musical museum featuring over 100 period keyboard instruments. Amongst the collection are the instruments used in recent period films including Pride and Prejudice, Sense & Sensibility, Emma, and Vanity Fair. Setting the mood, our visit should hopefully coincide with a short recital of classical pieces popular in Regency England.
NIGHTSTOP: Cranbrook or Sevenoaks
Day 7, Monday
Vita Sackville-West and Sir Harold Nicholson's world famous garden of Sissinghurst will be our main visit today. You'll have plenty of time to explore this intimate and intricate garden and to visit those parts of her home open to the public. Here, we’ll find a Tudor tower complete with Vita’s writing workshop, a walled herb garden, mixed border gardens, an oast house museum, a white garden and a cottage garden. Writer and friend to the Bloomsbury Group, Vita’s home also has Virginia and Leonard Woolf’s printing press on display.
Kipling’s home of Batemans is our next port of call. Here, much of the house and grounds, with its tranquil river side setting and pretty gardens, is as the author left it, including his study. The interiors reflect Kipling’s love of the East. As a contrast to the large formal estate gardens, this garden is not grand, but exudes the charm of an English country garden with yew hedges, a rose garden and shallow pond all added by Kipling.
NIGHTSTOP: Cranbrook or Sevenoaks
Day 8, Tuesday
A full day today! This morning, see historic Canterbury, paying our respects much like Chaucer’s Pilgrims inside the wonderful cathedral and the town itself. Nearby, time and interest permitting, we can see Goodnestone Park, the family estate of Edward Austen Knight’s in-laws. Here is a charming Regency garden with fragrant, famed Walled Garden where Jane Austen was a frequent visitor. It is said that a ball here inspired the start of Pride and Prejudice.
The rest of our day will be spend enjoying the Broadstairs Charles Dickens Festival, a Bicentenary celebration of the author’s life and works. There is a wide range of special events, costumed characters and the opportunity to mix with the locals in this lovely seaside resort town. The locals here, the setting for Dickens’ Bleak House, has held an annual Dickens Festival since 1937.
NIGHTSTOP: Cranbrook or Sevenoaks
Day 9, Wednesday
‘Bloomsbury in Sussex’ today as we explore the homes of Virginia Woolf at Monk’s House, her final home, and that of her sister Vanessa Bell, Charleston Farm. Here we’ll visit the farmhouse that was the weekend getaway for Woolf, Lytton Strachey, EM Forster and TS Elliot among others. Entering these rooms is like stepping back in time. The gardens of Charleston are of the Arts and Crafts style infused with an Italian flair and certainly reflect the originality of its owners, featuring mosaic paving, original and classical sculptures and a variety of colorful plantings. Vanessa Bell described her creation as “a dithering blaze of flowers and butterflies and apples” while painter Dora Carrington wrote, "Never, never have I seen quite such a wonderful place!...What excellent things there will be to paint in that garden with the pond and buildings."
Day 10, Thursday
A leisurely and lovely day as we meander our way back into London. Firstly, we can visit Tunbridge Wells, a former spa town where Regency high society went to “take the waters.” The town is mentioned several times in various Jane Austen novels. Keep your eyes opened in the local shops for ‘Tunbridge ware,’ specially carved wooden boxes uniquely made here.
Our main visit today is to a top garden, one with connections to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and his timeless creation 'Sherlock Holmes' plus a popular recent film version of Pride and Prejudice. The romantic setting of Groomsbridge Place, a moated manor estate featuring formal gardens and a bird of prey centre, has been the inspiration for authors, gardeners and artists since the 17th Century.
Finally, a drive through Winnie the Pooh’s Ashdown Forest as we make our way back into the capital.
Add London to your package: London accommodation, airport transfers, London city tours, London attraction passes and London transport passes are separate from our short tour but can be added to your overall package as you wish. Ask us for full details.
London offers heaps of options for visitors! We recommend enhancing your Jane Austen literary adventure with a visit to the British Library where you can see Jane’s manuscripts. Another choice is the National Portrait Gallery, where among the many painting and photographs of famous Britons, you can see the sketch of Jane Austen done by her sister Cassandra. This is the only undisputed portrait of the author.
Perhaps you will choose to go around on the “Big Bus”, the best introduction to the iconic sites of the Capitol. Hop off when you want then hop back on - a fun way to start your holiday. SGT highly recommends a visit to St Paul’s Cathedral during your time in London. Their new included multi-media personal Ipod Touch tour guide brings hundreds of years of British history to life - literary at your fingertips! Avoid the queues/lines and pre-book your tickets via us. We can also assist you with pre-booking The Tower of London tickets too. This evening, perhaps go to a show at one of London’s fantastic theatres such as Shakespeare’s Globe? Spoilt for choice in the Capitol!
Please note: All attraction opening times are correct at time of printing this website. While we will do our utmost to include all of the properties mentioned as central visits, we reserve the right to change an attraction should it become impossible to deliver a planned visit due to changes in opening days or times that we could not have been aware of at the time of loading this tour to our website.
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