The House of Jane--Part One
The House of Jane
Part One
Who's House? Jane's House!
The train to Alton
takes about an hour and fifteen minutes. When that train is delayed it takes
about ninety minutes. When one is caught in London traffic on their way to
Waterloo station, then it takes about two hours. As I boarded the train to
Alton, I had this silly feeling. I felt that if my teenage self could have been
here, he would scarcely believe that he was finally going to Chawton. I could
scarcely believe it as an adult.
It’s evident why
people travel to Alton. The banner with a well-known silhouette and the dates
1775-1817, and the words, “This way to Jane Austen’s house!” are a complete
give away. Though one is encouraged to literally follow in her footsteps and
walk the forty-odd minutes to her cottage, I decided to take a cab. Luckily
there’s a cab stand in front of the train station. Clearly someone was enterprising
enough to consider flatfoot travelers from across the globe.
A short cab ride
through the Hampshire country side, and the cabbie said to me, “That’s her
house on the left.”
I thanked him, and
then exited.
What stood in front
of me was a Tudor era house. The red brick walls were both practical and
charming. Two plaques out front told made it very clear whose house this was.
I
took a deep breath, put my hand on the wall to the front door, and then closed
my eyes. There was a warmth and a vibrancy that I felt. It was as if the house
itself was living; as if it had absorbed the love and care that goes into
keeping it standing all these centuries. As I stepped inside, I thought, “I can’t
believe I’m here.”
There
are no guided tours of Jane Austen’s house, which is a good thing. Instead,
there is an attendant that answers questions, and gives a brief overview of
Jane’s life. I liked that I was free to roam about the house unfettered. I have
a feeling that the people who run the house and museum know why the visitors
come here, and so little guidance is needed.
I
stepped into the front parlor and saw the piano (similar to the one that Jane
herself played). Sheet music from the Emma Thompson version of Sense and Sensibility sat at the ready,
along with scores from Playel, and other composers Jane would have enjoyed. I then turned to my right and saw what I’d
travelled thousands of miles to see with my own eyes.
Jane’s
writing table.
It
has been said that when people see it they begin to cry. I was no exception. I
didn’t weep, but tears began to form. I felt my pulse quicken, and a rush
inside my chest. I was alone in the room with the table, and so I had it all to
myself, so to speak. I began to smile, and imagined her slender frame sitting
at that table. It was just as slight as her, with the table top just barely
above the level of my knees. Only that top, smooth, with two deep pockmarks, is
original. The pedestal it sits on was 20th century in origin, as the
original was damaged some time ago. There’s a small Perspex wall that prevents
one from sitting at the table. But thankfully, the table isn’t encased in glass
like some other museum. Instead it is allowed to breath. There is a note that
says, “Please do not touch,” which is respected. Just to be in the room with
it, and to see it…it’s like you’re seeing the cradle of a proud mother’s
children. Jane didn’t just write, she birthed her works on that table. From there
the lives of many were forever changed.
“I
am never too busy to think of S&S. I can no more forget it than a mother
can forget her sucking child.”—Jane to her sister, Cassandra. 1811.
Reverend
Austen’s desk, with its attached bookshelf, was on display as well. It also
looked frozen in time. I perused the spines of the age-old volumes through the
doors of the glass cabinet. Many of the authors and poets that were referenced
in her novels were on display. It was here that her father wrote his sermons,
along with family letters.
Also, on display
was the tea cabinet, which Jane herself held the key to, as tea was expensive
back then. I was happy to report that she too was an avid customer of Twinning
and was known to frequent their shop (still in it’s original location) in The
Strand. Silver tea services with the Austen family crest, the stag and crown,
were prominently on display.
I took a turn
upstairs, and made certain to the touch the railing, which I know Jane’s own
hands would have trailed along. Up those narrow stairs one can reach a small
room with creaking floorboards; Jane’s bedroom. She would have shared it with her
sister, Cassandra, as it was the custom back then. I took small pleasure in
that the floorboard creaked at every step and gave me the feeling that I was
standing on the original wood. The wallpaper was a repro of the original wallpaper
she would have seen every day; with a small exposed section to show you the wood
bracing inside the walls.
Again, the other
visitors stepped out, and I was alone in the room.
The thought of, “I’m
alone in Jane’s bedroom,” came to mind. I laughed inwardly, and then thought, “It’s
taking every ounce of energy not to dance about the room.”
I was glad I had
those few moments alone. I could feel a sort of presence there. Nothing supernatural,
as I don’t believe in ghosts. But was a sense of, “This is where she lived,
where she slept, where she thought. Her voice, and that of her sister, would
have echoed off these walls.” I took in a deep breath, and the wonderful wooded
aroma of the room filled me. I breathed the same air, the same scents, and trod
the same boards as she did.
The water closet, complete
with chamber pot was on display as well. I blushed a little, and then thought, “You
know, the loo in my flat is off my bedroom as well. Some things never change.”
In another room,
more of an alcove, I saw something I hadn’t before; a copy of Jane’s will. She
didn’t leave a large estate, only about £860.00. In today’s money that would be
£49,677.30 (approximate). Not bad for her time period, but not wealthy.
Considering that £10,000 was the benchmark for prosperity in the Regency (that
would net you about £465,252.00). That’s how much Mr. Darcy was set to make per
annum! The little that remained of Jane’s estate was portioned out to family
and friends; with a few pounds going to a woman who’d lost money in her brother
Henry’s bank.
"I could no more write a romance than an epic poem. I could not sit seriously down to write a serious romance under any other motive than to save my life; and if it were indispensable for me to keep it up and never relax into laughing at myself or other people, I am sure I should be hung before I had finished the first chapter. No, I must keep to my own style and go on in my own way; and though I may never succeed again in that, I am convinced that I should totally fail in any other."--This quote is inscribed on the bench you see here. It was Jane's response to Mr. Clarke, The Prince of Wales' librarian, when he suggested she write a tatty romance novel. Letter dated April 1st, 1816. Jane knew how to throw shade...hence why the bench is in shade.
"I could no more write a romance than an epic poem. I could not sit seriously down to write a serious romance under any other motive than to save my life; and if it were indispensable for me to keep it up and never relax into laughing at myself or other people, I am sure I should be hung before I had finished the first chapter. No, I must keep to my own style and go on in my own way; and though I may never succeed again in that, I am convinced that I should totally fail in any other."--This quote is inscribed on the bench you see here. It was Jane's response to Mr. Clarke, The Prince of Wales' librarian, when he suggested she write a tatty romance novel. Letter dated April 1st, 1816. Jane knew how to throw shade...hence why the bench is in shade.
After I stepped
out of the cottage, I took a good look at it. It had low ceilings, and narrow
stair cases; which was normal for when it was built (about 300 years before Jane
was born). I observed the shingles, the bricks, the windows, and then thought, “That
really is a nice house. By today’s standards that wouldn’t be a cottage at all.
It’d be nice-sized family home.” But, considering that Jane, her sister, her mother,
Martha Lloyd (later to become Lady Austen, when she married Jane’s brother, Francis)
all occupied the same house…it must have been a bit crowded. Oh, and let’s not
forget the servants as well!
These days the cottage
is attended by both museum workers and volunteers. I sat in the garden, on the
stone bench inscribed with one of Jane’s wittiest quotes. I took in the air and
felt a sense of calm. The garden at the cottage is one of the most peaceful
places I’ve experienced. I think the other visitors must have seen the ear-to-ear
grin on my face, as I still couldn’t believe I was finally there.
For sale are
various plants grown in the soil. I was tempted to take some home but knew that
getting them through customs would be a bother. Still, I want a Jane Austen
rose to plant and grow…eventually.
There is one other
thing before I close this entry.
On the second
floor is a glass case with several very special objects inside. I was reluctant
to take photos of them, as I feel they should be seen in person; though fellow
Janeites know what these objects are. The first is Jane’s shawl, made of
muslin, and reportedly embroidered by her own hand. It’s shear, with little cross
patterns. One could picture the fine, white fabric wrapped about her shoulders.
Next to it is the beaded bracelet, with it’s white and sky-blue beads. It looks
so modern and would have complemented the other notable pieces of jewelry on
display; namely the topaz crosses (the rounded one was probably Jane’s, while
the rectangular one was probably Cassandra’s cross). But the most obvious piece
that stands out is Jane’s little ring.
The ring is a much-cherished
artifact to Janeites. Reproductions of it, along with the bracelet, are readily
available from the Jane Austen Centre in Bath. It features a simple design with
a turquoise stone, which would have matched her hazel eyes. We’re not sure how
Jane came to possess the ring. It’s believed it may have been a gift from one
of her seafaring brothers, or possibly a minor indulgence Jane gave herself.
What we do know is
that Cassandra held onto it after Jane’s death. It even comes with a letter from
her big sister, which details the provenance of the ring. It was passed along
to various Austen family members, until it came up for auction in 2012. Pop
star Kelly Clarkson tried to buy it at auction but was prevented from doing so.
An export ban was placed on the ring, as it was felt that too many national treasures
were being sold and take away from Britain’s history. The museum was able to
purchase the ring with funds from donations. I’m glad of that, as it does
belong with its rightful owner in her own home. Such things should be on display
for the world, and not hidden from public view. To allow such a lovely reminder
of Jane to be on display is a credit to the museum, and her fandom. To have it
locked away for no one to ever see again would be a tragedy.
The ring gives us
an idea of the woman who wore it. Her tiny fingers that held quill and ink to
paper. The same fingers that stitched the quilt that hangs nearby. Those
slender fingers that made so many notes from the pianoforte fill the air of the
cottage. The same fingers that gave us Emma Woodhouse, The Dashwood Sisters,
Lizzie Bennet and her sisters, Mr. Darcy, Mr. Knightley, Miss Catherine
Moreland, Anne Elliot, Capt. Wentworth, and countless letters to family and
friends.
Text and photos
copyright Riley Joyce 2018.
This bronze was formerly installed in Winchester Cathedral for the 200th anniversary of Jane's death. It was sculpted and cast by the highly skilled Robert Truscott.
http://www.robtruscott.co.uk/
http://www.robtruscott.co.uk/
Links and Sources
Jane Austen's House and Museum
https://www.jane-austens-house-museum.org.uk/
Currency Converter: 1270-2017
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/currency-converter/#
Personal LinkHelp me finish my bachelors in Psychology! Every little bit helps.
Donate via Go Fund Me.
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