Chawton, Hampshire

Flower Delivery to Chawton with Clare Florist

Chawton, East Hampshire is famous as the home of Jane Austen in her later years. It lies inside the South Downs National Park and is home today of several historical museums dedicated to Jane Austen and the literature of her time. As such, the town is popular with tourists and students of literature.

The town’s recorded history dates to the Domesday Book of 1086. In the 13th century, a royal manor house stood in the town and was the frequent host to King Henry III. John Knight built the present Chawton House at the time of the Armada, around 1588, and his descendants added to it and modified the landscape over time.
Later in the 18th century, Jane Austen’s brother Edward Austen Knight moved his mother and sisters to Chawton Cottage in the village when he succeeded to the manor.  The Cottage previously housed local farmers and then served as a public house, the New Inn. The Inn was the site of two murders before being rented by Edward Austen Knight to Bailiff Bridger Seward. Jane Austen lived at the home from 1809 until she moved to Winchester in 1817.

While she lived at the house, Jane Austen finalized and published three novels that were already in draft form and wrote three others. Today the Cottage houses the Jane Austen House Museum, a small private museum established in 1947. The house and garden are open to the public, and is run by the Jane Austen Memorial Trust. Approximately 30,000 people visit Chawton Cottage annually. Events at the Museum include activities to encourage new writers, Jane Austen literature appreciation events and music performances and recitals.

Chawton House is a 400 year old Elizabethan Manor house in the village which was the home of Edward Austen Knight, Jane Austen’s brother. A foundation established by the co-founders of Cisco Systems obtained a 125-year lease on the house in 1992. The house has been restored and is now the Centre for the Study of Early English Women’s Writing, 1600-1830. The Centre runs programmes of study in association with the University of Southampton. It includes Chawton House Library, over 9000 books plus associated original manuscripts.

Chawton House sits on 275 acres of land and includes a working farm modelled after 18th and 19th century agricultural methods. Edward had intended to build a new walled garden on the estate during Jane Austen’s lifetime. He never finished the project. Today the walls are still mostly intact and a restoration programme has been started with volunteers. The project includes fundraising to rebuild potting sheds and glasshouses as well as the walls and gardens.

The central area already produces vegetables, herbs, flowers and soft fruits. It is a Certified Organic Producer registered with the Soil Association. Everything grown here is used by the Library or sold locally to aid the charity. The garden restoration will follow Edward Austen Knight’s original planting scheme. Tours are available to the public on Tuesdays and Thursdays by appointment. Conferences, weddings and filming also occur on the grounds of the estate.
To send fresh flowers anywhere in Chawton, contact Clare Florist.  We have arrangements perfect for anniversaries, holidays or simply to surprise someone special and bring a smile to their face. Contact us online for next day delivery to Chawton, East Hampshire.

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