If you are lucky enough to visit Bath, the Jane Austen Centre is well worth a visit. Fans of the author will love the entire city!
Click to read also: A Jane Austen Walking Tour of Bath
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What Is the Jane Austen Centre in Bath?
What You'll Find on This Page
Jane Austen lived in Bath from 1801 to 1806, and the city must have made quite the impression. Both Northanger Abbey and Persuasion are largely set in Bath, and all of her novels mention the city. If you’ve read Austen’s novels, this city will feel familiar to you when you visit!
Located at 40 Gay Street in Bath, you’ll find the Jane Austen Centre in a beautifully restored Georgian townhouse. This charming museum offers visitors a chance to immerse themselves in the world of one of England’s most beloved authors.
While Jane did not live in the home where this centre is housed, she did live down the street for part of her life!
As you enter the centre, staff in period costume greet you, ready to share insights about Jane Austen’s life and times.
Martin Salter in the photo above is the centre’s front door meeter and greeter.
He embraces his role completely, and is now England’s most photographed man.
What are the Jane Austen Centre Exhibits Like?
The museum features Austen memorabilia, including period costume replicas, manuscripts, and first editions.
The centre also provides insight into what life was like in Bath during Austen’s life. The photo above is an example of what a milliner’s shop might look like.
Seeing a period era house with explanations about the culture and examples of what life was like definitely made me want to go home and re-read the books!
Jane Austen captured English Regency era culture so well that she is now featured on the back of the ten pound note. Queen Elizabeth and now King Charles are on the front.
The museum features a few interactive activities, like this opportunity to write with a quill:
Modern pens are much easier to use!
You’ll also find quotes from the books scattered throughout the centre, and the restrooms are entertainingly labeled “Mr Darcy” and “Lizzie Bennett”.
A Note On Jane Austen Centre Hours
Museum hours change seasonally, so be sure to check times before you visit! The Jane Austen Centre is quite small, and tickets run on timed entry. So it may be worthwhile to book tickets online in advance. We did not do this, and wound up having to wait a couple of hours for our tickets to be valid.
The Jane Austen Festival
If you are a true Jane Austen fan, you may want to visit during the annual Jane Austen festival. The modern day city of Bath feels quite similar to descriptions in the books, and during this festival everyone walks the streets in period dress for the Grand Regency Costumed Promenade.
The festival also features a regency ball, Austen scholar lectures, writing workshops, dramatic adaptions of Austen’s works, and concerts featuring music from the Regency period. There’s even a Regency Fashion show where you can admire the exquisite craftsmanship of period-accurate costumes and learn about the fashion of Austen’s time.
I haven’t been there yet, but it’s on my bucket list to visit with at least one of my daughters some day!
Visiting the Jane Austen Centre Gift Shop
Even if you can’t get tickets to the actual museum, the gift shop is well worth a visit! It’s full of charming Austen editions and other gifts. I picked up this Bothy Threads cross stitch kit featuring characters from her novels that I am slowly completing.
Beyond the Centre: Explore Jane Austen’s Bath
We completely fell in love with the City of Bath when we visited! After your visit to the Jane Austen Centre, take a stroll through Bath’s historic streets to see the places that inspired Austen’s writing. Don’t miss the Pump Room, the Assembly Rooms, and the Royal Crescent – all featured in her novels and still standing today.
Have you visited the Jane Austen Centre in Bath? What did you think of it? Do you have other Jane Austen themed sites that we should visit?
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MaryAnne is a craft loving educator, musician, photographer, and writer who lives in Silicon Valley with her husband Mike and their four children.
OH man, I would love to visit there. It would be so much fun. Someday.
I definitely thought of you when I was writing this post. I hope you get to visit someday!