At this point of the tour I could see a necessity of returning, with a minimum of three stops per day, I felt a bit too rushed. This was the best part of the tour so far, although the 'great houses' were wonderful, with the exception of Stoneleigh Abby, there could be some question as to Jane Austen actually spending time there. The visit to Chawton House Museum and Library were very informative. We had a private tour of the library which was one of the estates Jane's brother Edward inherited due to his adoption by the Knights. Below is a late Victorian stained glass window showing the heraldry of the Knights. Edwards arms are displayed at top far right.
I have an interest in heraldry, as I suppose we all do. My son recently graduated from Kenyon College which was founded in 1824 and funded by Lord Kenyon. Lord Kenyon's arms are used in the lower portion of the College's arms, displayed all over campus and on t-shirts, mugs, etc. I stitched the fob/ornament below as a remembrance of Ben's time at Kenyon. I did everything, except weave the linen. It is hand embroidered on a 36 count linen with needlepoint silk, I hand twisted the cord and wound the tassel. The gold chevron and white crosses are queen stitch, the black background is tent and the open book and purple ground are all stem stitch. A lot of hours, but well worth it! It is finished with a purple silk fabric and glass beading along the edge. I have taken many finishing classes over the years and can not wait to add finishing touches to my own Regency wear!
The following pictures are of windows where we were told Jane enjoyed sitting to enjoy the view.
I found the door below, which is from an early part of the original house, very interesting, both the size, shape and detail of the wrought iron hinge. The huge folk art painting of the estate, probably not unlike what Jane knew, caught my eye. I have a collection of over a dozen folk art reproduction boxes painted by Elsie Di Cassio. I finished the interiors to store my stitching supplies, mostly silk threads. I will not get into the details of how much silk and goldwork threads I have, we'll just say it maybe considered extreme!
Our next stop was the Chawton House Museum or Chawton Cottage as Jane probably would have known it. This is where Mansfield Park, Emma and Persuasion would have been completed. The Museum shop is a must see, I found wrapping paper and bookmarks from a copy of the cottage wallpaper. I love wallpaper, what a find! We had a short talk, followed by tea which was refreshing. Below are exterior pictures of the cottage, back yard, side and road frontage, followed by the interior of the front door trimmings.
The following pictures are of a built in linen closet with drawers and and another interior door. Followed by, the fireplace where Jane would have made the household tea and a window looking out to the backyard. A very charming cottage!
I'll end this days tour with a picture of the sampler completed by Cassandra Austen, Jane's sister, and a lace ruffle of Jane's handwork. I have completed the sampler reproduction kit in a class with Susan Blomley of Pilgrim Stitchers. Not an extremely difficult sampler, mostly various patterns of simple cross stitch which an intermediate embroiderer could easily figure out. The lace has the tie/cording removed, which from the overall picture would have tied around the neck. Note, on the two detail photos the lace is actually appliqued to a tulle ground, the channel where the cording would have been inserted is easier to see in the last picture.
If this wasn't enough, after we returned back to the Hotel we were met with local JAS members of Hampshire, and were visited by Deirdre La Faye in person, a very sharp lady! Next morning we attended a Rose Ceremony in Winchester, pictures below. The stone with inscription where we prayed, our finished spray (someone was on hand to tidy it up a bit) and Jane's beautiful wall plaque!
The doors to Winchester are usually open all day, it's only in the early morning or evening where you can get this beautiful shot of the red doors....
After the Rose Ceremony we walked to 8 College Avenue to see the home Jane stayed to be near her doctor and later died. We were extremely blessed to be invited to see the home, which is occupied by a family. Pictures below are as follows: Looking out the bedroom window Jane and Cassandra shared until Jane's death. The hallway between the bedroom and living areas which Jane found difficult to navigate towards the end of her illness. The corner of the living area where Jane died. The window of the same living area where she would have looked outside. The back of 8 College, finished with a close-up of the back entry.
The afternoon of our second very full day in Winchester was spent back on the beautiful grounds of the Chawton Library for the AGM. The guest speaker was Peter Sabor of McGill University, in Montreal, Canada. Tea was served for several hundred people which must be daunting, I was a trouble maker, I did not take cream with my tea, which messed up the assembly line. We were invited to attend Evensong on the grounds. The last pictures are of the graves of Cassandra, Jane's sister (on right), and Jane's Mother, also Cassandra, (on left), and a beautiful rose bush climbing up the wall of Chawton Library!
Next time Wilton House, Wiltshire, Lacock and then on to Bath!!
