LIFE AND LEARNING IN JANE AUSTEN’S ERA
A Tour Provided by
Pathfinders
July 20-29, 2007
Itinerary Highlights (Tentative as
of 11/5/2006)
Chawton Cottage, Photo by Lynne Martens
7/20 Meet Elizabeth Proudman, Austen Tour
Specialist who will guide the tour, and Mary Lou White, previous tour organizer
who will escort the group, at London Heathrow Airport. Travel by deluxe motorcoach to St. Nicholas
Church in Steventon; later have tea at Ibthorpe House, home of Austen's friends
Mary and Martha Lloyd. At Winchester Cathedral,
join Helen LeFroy in a private ceremony at Jane Austen’s grave. See the exterior of the house where Jane
Austen died. Hotel in Winchester. Tea, D
7/21 Enjoy a pictorial overview of the tour by
Elizabeth Proudman and a visit to Winchester College, where Jane’s nephews were
educated. Meet British Janeites at the
JAS AGM on the grounds of Chawton House Library. Be welcomed by Patrick Stokes, a descendant of Austen’s brother
Charles. Visit Austen’s House, St.
Nicholas Church, Chawton, and Chawton House Library,
formerly the home of Austen's brother Edward. Take tea in the converted
stables of the great house. Hotel in Winchester. B, Tea
7/22 Church service at Winchester Cathedral
(optional). Travel
to the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard and visit the HMS Victory and
the Royal Naval Museum, site of the college where Francis and Charles Austen learned
seamanship. Evening in Winchester with members of the Hampshire Branch of the
Jane Austen Society. Hotel in Winchester. B, D
7/23 Travel to Lyme Regis and walk the Cobb
hearing relevant passages from Persuasion. See the Jane Austen Memorial Garden and meet
Austen descendant Diana Shervington, who will show family memorabilia. Travel
to Bath. Hotel in Bath. B, D
7/24 Explore Jane Austen’s Bath during a walking
tour: the Pump Room and Assembly Rooms, Costume Museum, Jane Austen Centre, and
exteriors of homes where the Austens lived.
Have tea at 4 Sydney Place, the Austens' first Bath residence. Enjoy an elegant evening at Crowe Hall, a
private home, including dinner and a concert of Austen-era music by a costumed
trio. Hotel in Bath. B, Tea, D
7/25 Travel through the Cotswolds to Oxford for a
private visit at St. John’s College, George Austen’s college as student and
don. Hear educator and Austen specialist, Tony Corley, speak of Oxford and the
Reading school that Jane and Cassandra attended. Visit the site of that school
in Reading. Hotel in Tunbridge Wells. B,
D
7/26 Be greeted at Goodnestone Park by Lady
Fitzwalter, doubly descended from Jane Austen. Have a private tour of the
house, church, and magnificent gardens. Enjoy lunch in the converted stables. Travel
to Godmersham to see the exterior of Edward Knight’s manor house and a tour of
the grounds and gardens by the estate manager.
Visit the church in Godmersham to see Austen/Knight memorials; hear a
demonstration of bell-ringing. Hotel in
Tunbridge Wells. B, L
7/27 Visit the Tonbridge School, where Jane
Austen’s father was both student and teacher. In Sevenoaks see the exteriors
of the private
school where Jane’s great-grandmother worked and the Red House where Jane’s uncle
had his lawyer’s office. In London visit the British Library and see Jane’s
desk, original letters and manuscript of the cancelled chapter of Persuasion. Hotel in London. B
7/28 Free morning with optional walk to the
British Museum and Covent Garden, seeing Austen sites in both places. Afternoon
tea and meeting with the London Group of the Jane Austen Society in
Knightsbridge. Farewell dinner with a
speaker from the JAS London group. Hotel
in London. B, Tea, D
7/29 Transfer to London Airport (either Heathrow or Gatwick). B
