The Jane Austen Centre
The Jane Austin Centre
40 Gay Street, Queen Square
Bath BA1 2NT
Tel: 01225 443000
The Jane Austin Centre is a riveting family attraction dedicated to the life and works of the great 19th century novelist. It’s signposted throughout Bath and only a 15-minute walk from the train station. The family attraction is housed in a Grade II listed Georgian house on Bath’s Gay Street, where the great authoress lived in 1805, and a stone’s throw from both Queen Square and The Circus.
The Jane Austen Centre is a permanent exhibition that details the authoress’ environment and oeuvre, while on site guides provide 15-minute introductory talks, along with a video presentation focusing on the locations in Bath that influenced her writing, notably Northanger Abbey and Persuasion, as well as period pictures and documents. Ticket holders to the family attraction can then take in displays of period townscapes, period costumes, contemporary exhibits, maps and books, as well as exclusive film footage. There’s also a host of descriptive information about the living conditions of the people who populated Austin’s city over 200 years ago and details of urban living at the time.
Designed with the help of the Jane Austen Society, the Jane Austin Centre’s exhibits provide ticket holders with an informative and captivating insight into Napoleonic and Regency-era Bath, with the focus on the early 1800s when she resided in the city. Additionally, there are nods to Austin’s continued popularity and source of screenplay material, with blow-up photos of the likes of Colin Firth (Mr. D’Arcy) adorning the entrance to the family attraction. Worth the price of the ticket alone for many ladies!
A family day out to the Jane Austin Centre can also include dressing in period costume and posing for a professional photographer, whose services can be pre-booked (details at the Jane Austin Centre website). Furthermore, the 2007 Costumes from ITV’s Persuasion exhibit includes dresses worn by Sally Hawkins as Anne Elliot, while 2008 sees an expansion of Andrea Galer’s award-winning design work, with the opening of Romance and Reality. It features costumes trimmed with hand-made lace from the BBC TV drama Miss Austen Regrets, along with professional set-dressing, period music, holograms and a new film. Adult groups receive an introductory talk in the classical Georgian room, before being guided around the exhibition, enhancing a visit to the family attraction.
The Jane Austin Centre Shop boasts a vast range of books, DVDs, CDs, cards, stationery, lace and needlepoint, as well as a tea room serving confectionaries of the times, rounding out a fascinating family day out.