Jane Austen Centre, Bath

...describe a scene from a Jane Austen novel, and their minds will dart to the BBC adaptation of "Pride and Prejudice" and they will think of Colin Firth walking along in his wet shirt in that scene I've just described. However, if you have read "Pride and Prejudice", you will find, that it doesn't matter how hard you look, when he meets Elizabeth at Pemberley, he doesn't have a wet shirt - someone in the BBC production team, added ...
...how to visualise scenes from Jane Austen books hopefully in the way that she meant, and in fact, get more of a feel for her works. I visited Bath, or more specifically, I visited the Jane Austen centre and also went on the associated Jane Austen walking tour of Bath.

~~The Jane Austen Centre~~

~Location~

40 Gay Street - I came by train, and basically I just had to keep walking north, and it's sandwiched ... more

Picture the scene - Darcy is riding his huge white horse towards his estate at Pemberley. His mind is still full of thoughts of Elizabeth, and how she accused him of not acting in a gentlemanlike manner. His heart is still throbbing and his mind is cursing himself at his stupidity. He needs to cast these thoughts as far away from himself as possible, he needs to settle himself, he has work to do on the estate. He espies the lake, and decides instantly to dismount, strip down to his shirt and breeches, and then dives into the cooling waters. He then leads his horse to his home, he's still soaked and his shirt is clinging to him. Suddenly, he sees Elizabeth, his heart's desire and all he can think of is that he must show himself to be a true gentleman.

Ok, ok, I'm not great at the descriptive prose, but you get the idea. Ask most women to describe a scene from a Jane Austen novel, and their minds will dart to the BBC adaptation of "Pride and Prejudice" and they will think of Colin Firth walking along in his wet shirt in that scene I've just described. However, if you have read "Pride and Prejudice", you will find, that it doesn't matter how hard you look, when he meets Elizabeth at Pemberley, he doesn't have a wet shirt - someone in the BBC production team, added that bit to their interpretation of the story.

So, how did I manage to find out how to visualise scenes from Jane Austen books hopefully in the way that she meant, and in fact, get more of a feel for her works. I visited Bath, or more specifically, I visited the Jane Austen centre and also went on the associated Jane Austen walking tour of Bath.

~~The Jane Austen Centre~~

~Location~

40 Gay Street - I came by train, and basically I just had to keep walking north, and it's sandwiched between Queen's Square and The Circus.

~Price~

Adults - £4.45
Senior Citizens and Students - £3.65
Children (6-15) - £2.45
Family ticket (2 adults and up to 4 children) - £11.95
Single Adult Family ticket (1 adult and up to 4 children) - £9.95

If you decide to do the Jane Austen Walking Tour of Bath, you can use your walking tour ticket to get 20% off the prices into the centre.

~The Introductory Talk~

At the quarter to, and quarter past the hour, is a lively introductory talk. The girl who gave our talk breathed enthusiasm for her subject - you could see that she loved her subject and really wanted to convey that joy to her audience, you couldn't help but warm to her. Her main subject was the immediate family of Jane Austen and how it is likely that Jane drew on some of her personal experiences when writing her works. For example, Northanger Abbey was Jane's first novel and was written when she had only visited Bath for a few weeks. In it there is a moderate enthusiasm for Bath - the sort of feeling generated by only a visit. However, Persuasion was Jane's last novel, written after she had lived in Bath, and in fact, after her father had died in Bath. By that time, Bath was a painful memory, and this is reflected in her book where Anne Elliot too does not like Bath. I had never noticed this before when I had read either of these novels, but now on closer inspection I see that it is true, so immediately, I have seen a widening of my understanding of Jane Austen's works.

The introductory talk is held in one of the upstairs rooms, and while you are waiting for the next talk to begin, their is a comfortable waiting room. It is definitely worth waiting to have this talk first, before visiting the rest of the centre.

~The Centre~

Downstairs is the centre. If you don't like to read, then this is not a place for you. Most of the exhibits have plaques providing a lot of detail to explain life in Jane Austen's day, and explain her experiences. I found out a lot of information about Georgian England that I had no clue on - for example, I thought the style of dress was quite a modest style and that their clothing was quite prim and proper. Then I read the plaque about how some young ladies would wear moleskin undergarments and then would wet down their clothes in order to display their curves better!

Also, I found the discussion about income very enlightening. In Pride and Prejudice, Darcy has an income of £10,000 a year and Bingley's income is half that. This puts them at the very top of society, described at the centre as opulent. It then goes on to explain what a family or person could afford on various incomes - for example, how much a person would have to earn before they could afford to run a carriage. I found that this information will help me to understand a character's position in society when I read Jane Austen's novels again (or indeed, if I read any novels written by any of Jane's contemporaries).

It is also explained where Jane lived - before she moved to Bath, when she moved to Bath, and then when she left Bath. In Bath, her father died, and this meant a gradual reduction in their fortunes, eventually her mother, sister Cassandra and herself lived in Trim Street - a very poor neighbourhood containing inns and even a brothel. This would have badly affected Jane's peace of mind. Eventually, they were rescued by her brother Edward, who had been adopted by a rich family and who eventually inherited three estates. He took them to live in a cottage in the country, which also helped Jane to get back to her writing.

Jane died at the age of 41 and in much agony. Several years later, it was worked out that she probably died of Addison's disease - a disease which brings a horrible death. If she had lived longer, just think of how many more wonderful books she may have written to delight us all.

~The Video~

As part of the visit to the Centre, there is a video presentation which lasts around 15 minutes and which is narrated by Amanda Root. This video takes the viewer around Bath and explains more of Jane's life in Bath and even interviews a distant relative who lives near Lyme. Amanda Root played Anne Elliot in the BBC production of Persuasion.

~ The Shop~
There is a lovely shop at the centre - selling books, videos of Jane Austen's works. Plus there are associated gifts of stationery, postcards, lace goods, etc. I bought a copy of Jane Austen's first work here "Jane Austen's History of England. by a partial prejudiced and ignorant historian" - this cost me all of £1 and kept me in stitches when I read it later that evening. It showed that even when only 16 years old she had an aptitude for writing with enthusiasm and wit.

~Recommendation~

Well, I absolutely adored my visit to the Jane Austen centre - as soon as I've finished the book I'm reading, I want to read all of Jane Austen's novels again, this time taking more note of the detail, and how what I now know dovetails with the novels. If you love reading Jane's books, you will love this centre.

~~The Walking Tour~~

Although, this isn't strictly part of the centre, these tours are run by the centre and if you go on the tour, you receive a 20% discount on the cost of visiting the centre. The cost of the Walking tour is £3.50

~Starting Point~

Start in the Abbey churchyard outside the KC Exchange - there is a sign post outside showing that the Jane Austen tour starts here. It is also possible to buy tickets for the tour inside the KC Exchange.

~Time and Dates~

The tour is every day during July and August, and the rest of the year only on weekends and Public Holidays. There is one tour each of the days which starts at 1.30pm.

~The Route~

The tour takes you through many of the main streets of Bath and even some of the attractions. You walk through the entrance to the Roman baths and look into the King's Bath and then walk through the Pump rooms (one of the leading places for Society to meet in Jane Austen's day). Then to the Collonades, the spas, the shopping streets and up into the Royal Crescent, Circus and Assembly Rooms. During the tour, you stop off and see places which are mentioned in Jane Austen's works, and also, places which are of interest in Jane's own personal life. Our guide quoted both from her books and her correspondence which really helped me to feel a greater affinity with her works.

The tour takes 1 ½ hours and I have to say, that included walking at fairly break neck speed - our guide was not one to dally when walking between the featured sights!

~Recommendation~

Again, I couldn't help but love the tour. It was so much better than I had expected. My only regret is that I hadn't read Northanger Abbey and Persuasion before my visit to Bath - as both of these novels contain scenes set in Bath, they were heavily quoted in the tour and the Centre. It would have enhanced my visit if I had made myself more familiar with them. Therefore, I would also say, that you will get more out of your visit, if you read the novels, or at least have a passing acquaintance with them. I found the tour was particularly wonderful as it included details not just on the books but on Georgian architecture - I found out quite a bit of information that I didn't know. For example, I thought all the houses in the Royal Crescent were the same, but no. The same architect built all the frontage of the Crescent, but the back part were contracted out to other builders, and therefore, the houses behind can be quite different. I found all the little details filled me with enthusiasm for Bath, Georgian architecture, and Jane Austen's works - in other words, the tour and the centre achieved what they had set out to do.

Next time you're in Bath, please visit the centre and go on the tour. Then next time you read Pride and Prejudice, maybe your mind won't dart to Darcy's wet shirt first!! 

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