My last full day in England was spent in Alton and Chawton, two small towns a short walk from each other. I had an Air B&B for two nights in Alton (with a very friendly cat). In the morning, I walked around Alton (I just happened to be there on a Tuesday when they had their Tuesday market running) and stepped into a few charity shops.
Ooh, another fun tangent! There are many thrift stores and secondhand stores in the U.S. (at least where I live) but most of them are for-profit businesses (that includes Goodwill). Fewer and fewer give proceeds to a charitable organization. In the UK, the majority of thrift stores I encountered were charity shops, with proceeds going to a specific charity (animal shelters, children's homes, cancer research, etc.) While in charity shops, I was able to find William Morris placemats and a children's book by A.A. Milne I don't remember ever seeing in the US (though I had heard of it) for affordable prices.
Lovely cottages along the way
After the charity shops, I walked about 15 minutes from Alton to Chawton, to Jane Austen's house. Jane Austen lived in this house only the last eight years of her life, but it was where she completed her first two novels and wrote the last four, so it really is the house of Jane Austen the writer. It is a mid-sized brick house. It still has some original pieces of furniture, including the tiny writing desk Jane used (perhaps so tiny so that she could easily move it to different rooms where the family sat or to the windows with the most light to save her eyes). I stood in the parlor where Pride and Prejudice was read aloud for the first time, by Jane herself to family and friends. The garden was very charming too.
Her house! Side yard view (there was some sidewalk construction in front)
Jane's writing desk
Wall paper restoration!
A quilt Jane and her family worked on
Very happy!
I walked across the street when I was done to get lunch and tea at a cafe (Cassandra's Cup). I treated myself to cream tea one last time with my salmon sandwich and enjoyed the weather of another pleasant, sunny day. Then I kept walking a few minutes up the road to the manor, Chawton House. This was where one of Jane's brothers lived. He had been adopted by very wealthy distant relatives and had inherited their estate. In literary terms, he was wealthier than Mr. Darcy. He provided the home for his mother, Jane, and sister Cassandra. Jane would have frequently been in the manor visiting with her brother. It made me realize how Jane could write so well about both spheres, the "poor" of the upper class who had some name and pedigree but very little money and the truly upper class who had wealth to match their titles.
Chawton House
Chawton House was built in the Elizabethan era in the style of a medieval hunting lodge, so its appearance and feel are much older (though 1600s is still old enough!) The heavy woodwork is so beautiful and there were glimpses of William Morris wallpaper and tile again. (If you haven't read the post or seen the pictures from my visit to his house, you can see that here.) In an upstairs room, there was one little nook that made me sigh and think, "Now, this is where I'd want to curl up with a book." Then I stepped in a little further and there was a note on the wall saying that according to family reports, this was Jane Austen's favorite reading spot in Chawton House. Great minds think alike?
William Morris wall paper
Jane Austen's favorite spot to read, sew, etc.
In the library, they have an impressive collection of old books including a first edition of Emma. The grounds were extensive and definitely gave me the feel of being in one of Jane's stories. Right below Chawton House is St. Nicholas Church. The original building where Jane would have worshipped was destroyed in a fire and rebuilt in the 1800s, but it is still on the same spot. Jane's mother and sister are buried here. Jane died when away from home and is buried in Winchester Cathedral.
When I went into the church, I was pleasantly surprised to find a small gathering of older parishioners having tea together in the back of the church. Remember that one room affect in churches? They waved me in and said I could still look around. It felt someone how like Narnia to me, discovering an unexpectedly merry party.
tea time at church
After Chawton, I pulled out a pamphlet which outlined a 2-3 hour walking loop which Jane would have walked to visit her friends in the next small town. It also pointed out features of interest along the way. Again, I got to enjoy the footpaths, this time knowing I was walking where Jane had, over pastureland, through growing fields, through yew forests. Along the loop, I saw a pheasant which sneaked off into the rows of crops when I discovered it. Later, a large hare (bigger than a cat) jumped onto the path a little ahead of me. As I froze to watch, a second hare burst out behind it and they chased each other round in circles a few times then down the trail a long way before they eventually darted off.
In the town (Upper Farringdon) I saw this yew tree, which is reportedly over 3000 years old and one of the oldest known trees in England. It stands in the church yard of All Saints Church. This 12th century building was more modest than many of the others, but very lovely. I was only slightly terrified that the massive 12th century door would accidentally close, and I wouldn't be able to get back out. I also stumbled across this field full of red, white, yellow, and blue wildflowers!
It was late afternoon when I got back to Alton. I rested a bit, got dinner, and then journalled for a while with the window open. I kept hearing church bells, quite frequently, but not necessarily on the hour or quarter hour. It finally dawned on me these were real bells and to make the beautiful chorus, they were being rung by real people...and real people need practice. It was a very sweet realization that I was unexpectedly benefiting from a humble Tuesday night bell pulling practice.
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