Just as the characters in Jane Austen’s novels come to life on the page and screen so too do their surroundings. Every fan will have their favourite setting, and so do we.
So doff your top hats and dust down your bonnets, to celebrate the 250th anniversary of her birth on 16 December 1775 here’s our top five Austen property ‘hotspots’:
This has to be no 1 in our book not least for its claim as the most complete Georgian city in the UK with crescents, parades and squares developed in the Palladian revival style from 1725 onwards.
A major setting for both Persuasion and Northanger Abbey, Austen herself lived in Bath between 1801 and 1806.
Today, a combination of original Georgian features, elegant proportions and high-end fixtures and fittings – known as classic contemporary – characterises the Bath property market.
Albeit the scene of that regrettable picnic in Emma, the scenery of the Surrey Hills doesn’t disappoint. The Surrey Hills was one of the first areas of natural beauty to be designated and has long been popular with buyers looking for a more rural setting on London’s doorstep. Beautiful countryside, lovely views and attractive market towns and villages are a powerful draw.
‘Oh yes! – if one could but go to Brighton!’ – so dreams Lydia Bennet in Pride and Prejudice and while you might well question her motives, there’s no doubt the cosmopolitan seaside city and surrounding countryside has many charms.
From the spectacular Royal Pavilion to the quirky Lanes, it’s a fascinating place to explore. The undulating hills of the Sussex countryside are a hop, skip and a jump away offering South Downs walking routes through quaint villages with five-hundred-year-old pubs.
Known as the Pearl of Dorset, this picturesque town is noted for its period buildings and the historic Cobb harbour wall – a key location in Persuasion.
World famous for its historic fossils, the town still holds a fossil festival each spring. Buyers are drawn to its sweeping family-friendly sandy beach with its beguiling pastel-perfect beach huts. The high street gently slopes down to the sea and is brimming with independent businesses, from fossil emporiums to fudge shops while the Town Mill’s artisan quarter is home to art galleries, crafts and ceramics.
Lyme Regis is among an attractive mix of towns and villages dotted along, or within easy reach of, the beautiful UNESCO World Heritage Jurassic Coast which attracts millions of visitors every year and is a popular place to call home.
Ok, fair enough, the house and beautiful grounds at Pemberley in Pride and Prejudice are fictional, but Lizzy Bennet has never seen a place ‘where natural beauty had been so little counteracted by an awkward taste.’
So while Darcy’s home is down to Austen’s creativity, when it comes to country houses the importance of place is very real. Whether nestled in its own secluded valley, approached by a sweeping tree-lined driveway or perched upon a hilltop with commanding views, the surroundings of a country house set the scene well before you step inside.
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