Chawton House

Chawton House Known to Jane Austen as 'the Great House'. Beautiful estate with tearoom, gardens & Austen heirlooms.

Chawton House Library is a charity with a unique collection of books focusing on women's writing in English from 1600 to 1830. This specialist collection, set in the home and working estate of Jane Austen's brother, provides the opportunity to study and savour the texts in their original setting and inspires passion in readers of all ages.

Take a look at our programme for WitFest: A Day with Witty Women!🤣Join us for chuckles at Chawton as we celebrate witty ...
02/09/2026

Take a look at our programme for WitFest: A Day with Witty Women!

🤣Join us for chuckles at Chawton as we celebrate witty women from the 18th-century to today in the first of our WitFest series.

Discover Jane Austen the joker, have laughter in the Library and enjoy an afternoon of amusement complete with a very special tour with a VIP ghost…

To book, head to https://chawtonhouse.org/whats-on/witfest-a-day-with-witty-women/

Applications for our General Assistant role close tomorrow at 23:59, so if you would still like to apply, make sure you ...
01/09/2026

Applications for our General Assistant role close tomorrow at 23:59, so if you would still like to apply, make sure you send your application to [email protected] with the subject as 'General Assistant Application.'

Application is by covering letter of no longer than one page setting out why you are interested in this role and how you meet the essential/desirable criteria listed, and an accompanying CV

Interviews will take place on Monday 7th September, and the role will start on Saturday 12th September.

For more information about our Vacancies, just head to https://chawtonhouse.org/get-involved/vacancies/

31/08/2026

And here, Deputy Director Kim Simpson talks to Kate Evans about the reception of her tapestry amongst visitors to Chawton House. You can still see the tapestry on display until 20 September as part of HomeMade Histories.

31/08/2026

Here, Kate talks about 'thread painting' and how she created the images for her tapestry.

31/08/2026

We were delighted to welcome Kate Evans to Chawton House a few weeks ago, who tells us a little bit about the process behind creating the 10m tapestry currently on display in our Long Gallery as part of HomeMade Histories, which is open until 20 September.

What really goes into curating an exhibition?Join Deputy Director Kim Simpson online for a behind-the-scenes journey thr...
29/08/2026

What really goes into curating an exhibition?

Join Deputy Director Kim Simpson online for a behind-the-scenes journey through HomeMade Histories – from irate letters and scrapbook treasures to disgusting recipes, lost husbands and one particularly memorable roly-poly cat. Discover the clues, rabbit holes and unexpected stories that emerged while researching the women in Chawton House’s manuscript collection.

đź“… Monday 14 September | 8pm BST
💻 Online | 🎟️ £6
https://chawtonhouse.org/whats-on/online-talk-on-curating-homemade-histories/

Witty women. Wicked jokes. One very opinionated ghost. đź‘»Join us and Sharon Wright for the very first WitFest at Chawton ...
28/08/2026

Witty women. Wicked jokes. One very opinionated ghost. đź‘»

Join us and Sharon Wright for the very first WitFest at Chawton House on Sunday 20 September – a whole day celebrating funny women from Jane Austen to today.

Expect Austen’s sharpest jokes, laughter in the Library, tales of Chawton House chaos, teenage writings, comic monologues, a very silly writing competition – and an after-hours tour led by the formidable ghost of an 18th-century female squire.

10am–6pm | £25
Includes House & Gardens entry, tea/coffee on arrival and a pre-Ghost Guide drink.
Tickets available from our What's On pages

We are also currently hiring for a new Tearoom and Events Assistant.The Tea Room & Events Assistant will join the team o...
26/08/2026

We are also currently hiring for a new Tearoom and Events Assistant.

The Tea Room & Events Assistant will join the team of General Assistants, who are at the heart of everything Chawton House does. The team supports every area of the organisation's operation, from working in the popular tea room to front of house, events, marketing and administrative support for the Deputy Director and Chief Executive

*Please note that this role is funded by East Hampshire District Council's Kickstart scheme and therefore is only open to applicants who live in East Hampshire at the point of application and are currently unemployed.*

Application is by covering letter of no longer than one page setting out why you are interested in this role and how you meet the essential/desirable criteria listed, and an accompanying CV, sent by email to [email protected] with "Tea Room and Events Assistant Application" as the email subject.

The deadline is 23:59 on Sunday 13th September. The interviews will be at Chawton House on Friday 18th September. We will notify the candidates before the end of the day on Monday 14th September.

Head to our vacancies page for the Job Description: www.chawtonhouse.org/get-involved/vacancies/

We are currently looking for a new General Assistant to join our team!As a General Assistant, you will work with the tea...
23/08/2026

We are currently looking for a new General Assistant to join our team!

As a General Assistant, you will work with the team to support the day-to-day running of Chawton House. This role will specifically work in the Tea Room every Saturday, and you will join the pool of General Assistants who support evening events and projects in the house, gardens, estate or with the collection on a flexible basis throughout the year!

No experience is necessary as full training will be given, however we are looking for someone who can demonstrate that they enjoy a busy environment and working in a public-facing role. The successful candidate will be able to work as part of a small team but also, once trained, with a degree of independence.

This role would be suitable for those with weekday commitments (education, care or other paid or voluntary employment).

Application is by covering letter of no longer than one page setting out why you are interested in this role and how you meet the essential/desirable criteria listed, and an accompanying CV, sent by email to [email protected] with “General Assistant application” as the email subject. You can find the job description on our Vacancies page on our website!

The deadline is: 23:59 on Wednesday 2nd September. Interviews will take place on Monday 7th September, and the role will begin on Saturday 12th September.

Interested in learning more about Jane Austen's connection to Chawton House?đź“–Join us for another of our successful Jane ...
22/08/2026

Interested in learning more about Jane Austen's connection to Chawton House?

đź“–Join us for another of our successful Jane Austen at the Great House Tours on Saturday 12th September.

🌳Or maybe you'd prefer to discover the landscape Jane Austen knew and was inspired by on a guided estate walk on Friday 18th September.

You can find more information about both the tour and walk on our website!

Address

Chawton
Alton
GU341SJ

Telephone

+441420541010

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Chawton House posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organisation

Send a message to Chawton House:

Shortcuts

Share

Category