To mark the 200th death anniversary of British novelist Jane Austen come July 18, 2017, British Airways has specially selected four iconic places in the UK for travellers to explore the world of Austen. Here’s what visitBritiansays:
Hampshire: It’s Jane Austen’s birth and resting place. You can start with Jane Austen’s House Museum in the quiet village of Chawton. It was here that Austen wrote and revised six of her most famous novels — “Mansfield Park”, “Emma” and “Persuasion”, and revised “Sense & Sensibility”, “Pride & Prejudice” and “Northanger Abbey”. You can visit Austen’s country home that was built in the 17th century which opens daily. The county is hosting the “Jane Austen 200” to celebrate her life with special exhibitions, tours, talks, and performances.
People dressed in period costume for the Jane Austen Festival in Bath. (Credit: VisitBritain)
Bath: She lived here from 1801 to 1806. You can take a free audio walking tour through the city which includes extracts from Jane Austen’s novels and letters while soaking in the beautiful Georgian architecture depicted in “Northanger Abbey” and “Persuasion”. After the tour comes “Tea with Mr. Darcy” at the Regency Tea Room located in the Jane Austen Centre.Visitors can enjoy delicious finger sandwiches, homemade cakes, a pot of tea and dress up in a selection of Regency costumes.
Lyme Regis: A popular place for summer vacations, Austen and her family visited the southern coast twice, once in 1803 and in 1804. The quaint coastal town impressed the writer so much so that she used it for the setting of her book, Persuasion.
Sheffield: Visitors who love the illustrations and imagery from “Pride and Prejudice” should not miss the Chatsworth House located in Derbyshire. Scholars believe that Pemberely, the fictional country estate owned by Fitzwilliam Darcy, was inspired by the Chatsworth House Bakewell in Derbyshire.
British Airways currently operates a daily service between Kuala Lumpur and London. All flights from Kuala Lumpur arrive at the airline’s state-of-the-art home at London Heathrow Terminal 5. For more information and booking, please visit ba.com.
** Cover pic is of The Dining Room (Cr. Peter Smith) of Jane Austen’s House Museum, Chawton, Hampshire, UK. © Jane Austen’s House Museum