Celebrating 250 Years of Jane Austen

Jane Austen came to Winchester in May 1817, to seek medical treatment from a surgeon at the county hospital. With her sister Cassandra, she took lodgings in College Street, a part of the city already familiar to the Austen family. No fewer than eight of Jane’s nephews were pupils at Winchester College and the school is often mentioned in her correspondence. In one of her last letters, Jane described her ‘very comfortable’ accommodation in College Street and looked forward to a visit from Charles Austen, then in his first year at Winchester.

Despite her failing health, Jane continued to write, composing her last poem just three days before her death. She was buried in Winchester Cathedral and her final journey was movingly described by Cassandra, who watched the funeral procession from the windows of No. 8.

Later in the nineteenth century, the property became a confectioner’s shop. When this closed in 1893, No. 8 was purchased by Winchester College. The rooms where Jane Austen spent her last days were, until recently, a private residence. In the summer of 2025 they will host an exhibition about Jane Austen and Winchester, including a specially commissioned film and artefacts from the collections of Winchester College.

Other items associated with Jane Austen will be on display in Treasury, the school’s museum, from May 2025 until the end of the year. Among the highlights are first editions of her novels and manuscripts written by Jane and other members of her family.

Tickets for visiting No. 8 College Street were released this week. The house will open on Wednesdays and Saturdays throughout June, July and August 2025.

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