Chawton House
Chawton House
4.5
10:00 AM - 3:30 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 3:30 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 3:30 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 3:30 PM
About
**Please check website for updated opening days/times** Chawton House, referred to by Jane Austen as the ‘Great House’, as it was owned by her brother Edward. See the dining table where she enjoyed meals with her family and stroll through the walled garden. Discover the inspiring stories of early women writers, from novelists and travel writers to philosophers and activists. Visitors can enjoy light lunches and refreshments in the Old Kitchen Tearoom and browse a range of gifts related to the Library, House and Gardens in the Gift Shop without paying for admission. There is a rolling programme of exhibitions, which are included in the price of admission, along with a variety of events from evening talks and conferences to children’s workshops and garden tours.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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4.5
326 reviews
Excellent
245
Very good
62
Average
12
Poor
4
Terrible
3
Martin H
Stockport, UK675 contributions
Oct 2023 • Couples
Informative guide. House is not overwhelming in size allowing time for looks into all the nooks and crannies. Make sure to see the library ( you need to get access for this by asking at the gift shop) Distance wise a pleasant stroll from Jane Austen's House.
Written 19 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Toby C
Devon, UK4 contributions
Nov 2023 • Family
Fabulous visit, Aggie was a single handed tour de force in the tea room. She was simply awesome, kind, caring and really attentive!
Great coffee and Cake.
Wendy is a fount of knowledge and talked us through so much history. We were so impressed we purchased an annual ticket. Linda was attentive and helpful and we saw the library , incredible body of rare books. Including Louise Bourgeois book of midwifery and women’s health dating 1600’s. As a midwife myself this was a real eye opener.
Thank you for showing us the spirit marks… definitely felt the presence of the witches !
We will be back soon 😊
Great coffee and Cake.
Wendy is a fount of knowledge and talked us through so much history. We were so impressed we purchased an annual ticket. Linda was attentive and helpful and we saw the library , incredible body of rare books. Including Louise Bourgeois book of midwifery and women’s health dating 1600’s. As a midwife myself this was a real eye opener.
Thank you for showing us the spirit marks… definitely felt the presence of the witches !
We will be back soon 😊
Written 6 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Poppy B
20 contributions
Oct 2023 • Friends
Chawton House has it all - it's been a warm spirited, family home for 500 years, with amazing history and artefacts - wonderful grounds (dogs welcome); regularly changing exhibitions celebrating the largely unacknowledged contribution of women to our society; a very close link with one of the most famous authors of all time; AND a great kitchen cafe. It's at the end of a no-through road, but plenty of parking at the top of the drive (and some disabled parking behind the house itself) so THIS should be your first port of call when you come to Chawton ... and yes, do by all means pop in to JA's cottage if you have time afterwards?!
Written 9 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Good afternoon Poppy,
Thank you so much for your very thoughtful and kind review of your visit. We are delighted that you had a great time here at Chawton House, and experienced all that we offer to our customers!
We hope you liked it that much that you do come again and see some friendly faces!
Written 16 October 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Lisa L
3 contributions
Oct 2023 • Friends
I've wanted to visit for ages and it didn't disappoint from the extremely knowledgeable gentleman volunteer who gave us a run down on the history of the house and the families who'd live here to the tea and cake from the tearoom, so much thought has gone into the displays with interesting information and photographs, the house itself is beautiful and the gardens are so tranquil, the history just surrounds you. I wish I'd opted for the yearly membership as I could go back again and again.
Written 3 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi Lisa,
We are thrilled you had a lovely time here are Chawton House, and even more glad that you visited the wonderful Tearoom! We hope that you purchase the annual ticket so you can visit our beautiful House and Gardens as you wish throughout the year as we have lost going on, especially coming up this season!
We hope to see you again soon for some more tea and cake!
Written 16 October 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
chris b
3 contributions
Oct 2023 • Solo
Beautiful Manor house once owned by Jane Austen's brother Edward, whose adoptive family were the Knights. Still owned by them. Peaceful and tranquil with a relaxed atmosphere and very knowledgeable, pleasant guides, who are obviously proud of their charge. Rooms are full of character. Library is extensive and in use as a library with reading room for scholars (upstairs). Emphasis throughout the house on female endeavours that weren't always considered fitting at the time.
Written 3 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi Christina,
Thank you very much for visiting Chawton House, we are pleased to hear you had a great time and enjoyed quite a few aspects of the House! We do hope to see you again soon.
Written 16 October 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Trevor O
United Kingdom2 contributions
Sep 2023 • Solo
A huge thank you to volunteers Denise and Maggie who made our visit to Chawton House so very special last Saturday. My wife and I had a truely memorable experience - we will certainly be visiting again.
Written 27 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi,
We are so glad you and your wife enjoyed your visit to Chawton House. Our volunteers are wonderful and hold lots of knowledge about the House so we are very glad that you had time to speak with them!
We shall see you again soon!
Written 16 October 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Adventurers049
Brisbane, Australia3,377 contributions
Sep 2023 • Couples
A lovely old homestead in historical Chawton.
The exhibits are excellent and give a good history of the owners.
Don't forget to also visit the library.
There is free parking at the end of the drive.
The exhibits are excellent and give a good history of the owners.
Don't forget to also visit the library.
There is free parking at the end of the drive.
Written 13 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello,
Thank you very much for taking your time to come to Chawton House and leave a review. We do hope you come again soon!
Written 16 October 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Karen E
Berkhamsted, UK44 contributions
Sep 2023 • Couples
I had no idea that this house had connections to Jane Austen. I saw it as a beautiful Tudor family house, that has been independently opened for the public. The National Trust is a wonderful institution, but I do like to support smaller charities and groups that don’t have the resources of the national charities. And this house did not disappoint, it was an absolute joy to visit.
Written 10 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi Karen,
Thank you so much for visiting us. We are very proud of all that has been achieved in getting Chawton House open to the public! We are appreciative of all the support we get from our kind visitors like you. We do hope to see you again soon!
Written 16 October 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
xxsaraxx
London111 contributions
Aug 2023 • Friends
My friend and I really did enjoy our visit! The church is beautiful inside with swallows nesting in the entrance which was such a treat to see. We were fortunate enough to meet Jeremy who gave us the history or the house and family line, this gave us the knowledge when exploring the rest of the house. The library was quite something and the lady in the shop was so happy to also share the library and more information, thank you! The cream tea was beautiful the scones well I would come back definitely to enjoy those again! The grounds are so peaceful and the walks beautiful, found ourselves sitting on a bench overlooking fields of sheep and so peaceful, well worth a visit.
Written 19 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi Sara,
Thank you so much for your lovely feedback, we are glad you enjoyed your visit to the House and Gardens. We find it a delight that Jeremy gave you some great information and hopefully made your experience that bit better, as well as saving some time to visit the Old Kitchen Tearoom. We are happy to hear you enjoyed the homemade scones and hope that you may enjoy another on your next visit!
We hope to see you again soon on a glorious day!
Rebecca
Written 22 August 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Lakeslover005
Henley-on-Thames, UK10 contributions
Aug 2023 • Couples
A very enjoyable visit to Jane Austen's brother's house. There is much historical and Austen related interest to view inside the house. An interesting introductory talk was given when we arrived. We were invited to view the library of 2,000 volumes out of a collection of 16,000 - which was very impressive for the bibliophile. The house has a big collection of works by female authors and the public can apply to use the collection for research. The gardens are lovely with a rose garden and orchard and a lime tree avenue. It was a shame to see such lovely fruits not being used in the cafe - mulberries, apples and figs were left to rot on the trees - such a waste. The grounds are extensive with 2 waymarked parkland walks available. Well worth a visit.
Written 17 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello,
Thank you very much for your kind response. We are very happy to hear that you enjoyed your time at Chawton House. Produce from the garden is used in the food for the Old Kitchen Tearoom. For example, our soup of the day will always be with vegetables used from the garden, as well as the ingredients for our salads. We have a great selection of cakes that will often include fruits from the amazing gardens. The garden volunteers will try their best to pick as much from the garden to use as, like you said, it would be an awful waste! We hope you understand and we hope to see you soon!
Written 22 August 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Louise T
Salisbury, UK121 contributions
Hi can you get here by train? Also how much is entry fee?
Petmoy
Isle of Wight, UK100 contributions
Nearest station is Alton but the walk from there is long.so if you have a car much better. There was a smaller entry fee than Jane Austen's Museum but I got in free with Art Pass
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Claim your listingCHAWTON HOUSE: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)
Frequently Asked Questions about Chawton House
- Chawton House is open:
- Fri - Sun 10:00 - 15:30
- Hotels near Chawton House:
- (0.06 mi) The Garden House Bed & Breakfast
- (0.34 mi) Farthings - genuine Austen charm cottage & garden
- (5.48 mi) Two Hoots Glamping Site
- (0.71 mi) Chawton Park Farm Wigwams
- (1.16 mi) Old Timbers Bed and Breakfast
- Restaurants near Chawton House:
- (0.04 mi) The Old Kitchen Tearoom
- (0.33 mi) Casandra's Cup
- (0.34 mi) The Greyfriar
- (1.50 mi) Austen's Cafe
- (1.42 mi) Curry Palace