Jane Austen’s House

What will students see and do?

Jane Austen’s House in Hampshire is the only museum in the world dedicated to the life, works and legacy of Jane Austen, one of England’s greatest authors.  It is an accredited museum, set in the house where Jane Austen lived for the last eight years of her life, and where she wrote, revised and had published all six of her globally beloved novels. 

The museum has an impressive collection of objects, from first editions of Jane Austen’s novels to personal letters, jewellery, paintings and household items. These provide a material connection to this great literary figure.

A school visit to Jane Austen’s House is the perfect way to transport children of all ages to Jane Austen’s world, to bring her novels to life, and to make them feel relevant and accessible.

The friendly learning team are always delighted to welcome school groups and offer a range of options for your visit, developed with schools, for schools. These include novel-themed House tours and an exciting escape-room-style House experience, as well as a range of interactive workshops exploring historical global context, the customs of Regency society, and Jane Austen’s journey as a writer.

There is also the opportunity to enjoy the museum garden, and fun extras such as dressing up in Regency costumes and playing garden games. All the sessions are led by an enthusiastic and inspirational learning team.

How does the trip link to the curriculum?

A visit to Jane Austen’s House will expand students’ knowledge of cultural capital by introducing them to her words and ideas, and helping to engender an appreciation of her extraordinary creativity and achievements.

Additionally, a visit will support students’ critical literature studies to understand:

• The power of reading, exploring the depth of Jane Austen’s novels
• Writing techniques that paved the way for modern writers
• Why her novels translate so well into TV and film, and why they are still relevant today.

Each of the three interactive workshops on offer also has their own learning objectives. These include exploring and developing understanding of:

• Customs and way of life in Regency-era England, e.g. inheritance, money, courtship
• The context of Jane Austen’s life and its influence on her writing, e.g. inspirations taken from her lived experience, popular novels of the time
• Social and historical context, to support their personal arguments about power and marriage
• The Regency era, to examine the motivations of characters, and the sequence of events in novels, e.g. marrying for security versus love, limitations affecting women
• Key contextual events that shaped that period, e.g. the Napoleonic Wars, the French Revolution
• Jane Austen’s writing style, particularly the focus on character and dialogue.

These help to improve students’ contextual knowledge of the time period in which Jane Austen was writing and increase their confidence to use this knowledge in their work.

Subjects covered

Details of risk assessment

A hazard identification document can be provided when booking a visit. This can be used by teachers to complete a risk assessment. Teachers are also welcome to complete a pre-visit and can arrange this with their museum contact.

Please adhere to the ratio of one adult for every 10 students.

PLANNING

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