Last fall when we did our walking tour in England’s Cotswolds, I cheated on the last day and took a cab to Bath which was our final destination. After trekking in constant rain for a few days, I didn’t feel one ounce of guilt for that little maneuver. I wanted to take a visit to the Jane Austen Centre and knew I would only have time to do it if I rode rather than walked the last ten miles. My friend Ian was nice enough to join me.
When we arrived, this talkative gent greeted us. The centre is located in the middle of town and is very easy to get to. It is a permanent collection that tells about Jane’s experience living in Bath from 1801 to 1805 and explains how Bath influenced her writing.
Jane was one of eight children.
The exhibit was curated by local members of the Jane Austen Society who are experts on her life. Along with the exhibit there were costumes and films. They said that Jane was Bath’s most famous resident. Considering she lived there only five years, that’s quite a title.
They tried to replicate what afternoon tea would have been like in Jane’s day. I was very into this portion of the tour.
The blue and white china was so pretty and delicate.
And this tea caddy is just like the one Jane would have used. The top floor of the centre had a tea room for visitors, but since we were there in the morning, we decided to have lunch in a nearby restaurant instead.
Some of the most well-known characters in her books were represented.
This is a painting of Jane doing her writing.
Clothing was an important part of the exhibit. Visitors could dress up in props……
and then be photographed in this area that looks like a setting in an early 1800 home.
The centre hosts festivals and celebrations during the year, and they are very popular. If you are ever in Bath, you might want to stop in a check it out. For more information, here is their website.
Take care.
“FlexOffers”
