Jane Austen spent the final weeks of her life at No. 8 College Street, Winchester, and died there on the 18th July 1817. In the summer of 2025 the house was opened to the public for the first time, as part of the worldwide celebrations marking the the 250th anniversary of Austen’s birth.
Through displays and artefacts, visitors learnt about about Jane’s connections with Winchester and the story of her last days.
This exhibition explored the relationship between Jane Austen and Winchester College, where eight of her nephews were educated between 1808 and 1830. The exhibits showcased life at Winchester College in the early nineteenth century, when her nephews were at the College and also when Austen spent the final weeks of her life living on the outskirts of the College, at No. 8 College Street.
Highlights included first editions of Austen’s novels, a copy of Catherine Maria Fanshawe’s ‘Charade’ in Austen’s hand (a rare surviving example of Austen copying out the work of another writer), a copy in her brother James Edward’s handwriting of their father’s poem ‘Venta’ on Jane’s death, and much more.
