In the garden at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton

Tucked away in the Hampshire village of Chawton, Jane Austen’s House is a stunning reminder of history. It was here, in this brick cottage, that celebrated novelist Jane Austen spent the last eight years of her life, revising and writing her six beloved novels.

The House first opened to the public in 1949 and has undergone extensive restoration works to preserve the building. Today, the House is one of the most important literary museums in the world, welcoming over 40,000 visitors each year.

We spoke to Lizzie Dunford, Director of Jane Austen’s House since 2020 and expert in managing writer’s houses with over 15 years’ experience in the heritage and tourism sector, and Michele Hickman, Head Gardener and experienced garden designer trained by John Brookes. 

Lizzie regularly presents and writes on Austen, museum practice and literary homes, and Michele has worked across both large private gardens and smaller design projects from modern architect designed homes to Listed buildings, and was previously Garden Consultant to Kelmarsh Hall. With such a depth of experience in their respective fields, we were keen to hear their perspectives on Austen’s House, history, and of course, the garden.

Tell us about your involvement with the House and garden

Lizzie: "I'm the Director of Jane Austen's House, so I look after all aspects of running and caring for the House, of which the garden is one."

Michele: "I’ve worked in the garden for just a year alongside our wonderful garden volunteers, taking over from Celia Simpson who supervised the gardens for over 20 years."

Are you Jane Austen fans and which is your favourite book?

Lizzie: "I read Jane Austen from a young age, and she has been a part of my life for a long time. My favourite book is usually the one I've read last!"

Michele: "It’s Pride and Prejudice for me!"

Does Chawton feature in any of Austen's novels? 

Lizzie: “It’s very difficult to say if Chawton is an inspiration for any of the places in her books. She very rarely describes what places look like, so it is almost impossible to make direct links between the real village of Chawton and any of her fictional villages. Jane Austen’s House itself was an inspiration for Barton Cottage in Sense and Sensibility, but it is an inspiration, rather than a complete portrait.”

What do we know about Austen's relationship with the garden? 

While the garden was a part of Austen’s home, she was more an observer than a gardener. “She definitely appreciated the garden,” Lizzie explains, “and comments in her letters on shrubs and flowers as well as fruit and veg crops, but is highly unlikely to have done any work there herself.”

Austen’s mother however took great pleasure in the garden and its produce; “[she] scandalised her grandchildren by actually digging the potatoes herself,” says Lizzie, “whilst it seems likely that [her sister] Cassandra made choices about plants, if she didn't garden herself.”

Austen’s writing reveals close attention to the garden and its plants. In a letter she wrote to her sister Cassandra in May 1811, she mentions some of the cottage’s flowers:

"Our young Piony [sic]...has just blown & looks very handsome; & the whole of the Shrubbery Border will soon be very gay with Pink & Sweet Williams, in addition to the Columbines already in bloom. The Syringias too are coming out. We are likely to have a great crop of Orleans plumbs – but not many greengages..."

The garden visitors see today is much smaller than the one Austen knew. The Austen women had five acres; now, the garden is just a third of an acre. Two ancient yew trees still stand in garden, possibly even predating Austen herself. “My favourite part is the area of shade beneath the yew trees which is planted with lots of spring bulbs,” says Michele.

Elsewhere, planting has been guided by her letters and careful research into the plants of the era to create an authentic impression of what she might have known. Under the supervision of previous Head Gardener, Celia Simpson, the gardens were faithfully planted only with plants that were cultivated during Jane Austen's time. “Inevitably, we have had make some adjustments to the planting,” Michele explains. “Box disease [the dreaded blight that affects Box hedging] means we are now using more recent plants to give a similar effect, such as Prunus laurocerasus 'Sofia'."

“I’ve been here 6 years, and although I don’t work in the garden directly, I do spend a lot of time there,” says Lizzie. “My favourite addition over the past few years has been our mini wildflower meadow, which is spectacular in summer.”

Like the house, the garden is sustained with care. A team of dedicated volunteers from the local area, of all ages and backgrounds, help to maintain the space. As Michele explains, “there are some garden operations, such as tall hedge trimming, which for safety reasons need to be carried out when there are no visitors around, but mostly we’re able to work with visitors in the garden. They often ask about the plants and tell us how much they enjoy the atmosphere.”

The garden is designed to be experienced; paths invite wandering, soft plants hang over the planted borders. There’s a sense of stepping back in time and being immersed in nature and history. Dresses pegged to the washing line float in the breeze, almost if the Austen women could walk through at any moment to retrieve them.

How do you plan out the garden's seasonal changes?

With visitors arriving year-round, the garden is carefully planned to offer something for every season. “In winter, the scented winter jasmine is a prelude to snowdrops and crocus and all the spring bulbs,” Michele says. “Daphne wafts its sweet scent right across the garden, and then the panoply of herbaceous perennials begins.”

By early summer (the time of year when the Storm Flowers team visited the garden) old-fashioned roses have taken centre stage. “More perennials will bring colour and scent right though to autumn and early winter,” says Michele. The garden is designed to unfold slowly throughout the year, rewarding repeat visitors.

2025 marked the 250th anniversary of Austen’s birth (16 December 1775), making it a busy year of celebration as the world joined in celebrating her life and legacy.

What were your highlights of Austen's 250th year and what can visitors look forward to in 2026?

“It was our busiest year ever,” says Lizzie, “and although there were lots of highlights (our gorgeous, emotive book and podcast A Jane Austen Year being a very special thing to share with the world), I think for me it was the events that we did that bought people together to allow them to share their love of Austen's writing and how her books and life has inspired them – our Austen salons are a great example.”

The celebrations continue into 2026, with a busy calendar ahead and exhibitions launching throughout the year. A Sense and Sensibility festival arrives in May, followed by the much-loved annual dress-up day in July, when the garden is at its height. In September, a Persuasion festival rounds out the summer before attention turns to winter, Christmas and Austen’s 251st birthday.

What advice would you give to Jane Austen fans looking to create a garden for themselves? 

For those hoping to capture the romance of the English cottage garden at home, Michele’s advice is simple: “simple forms of common plants evoke Jane’s time here,” she says. “She enjoyed walking in the countryside, so we’ve included many meadow flowers. Herbs and simple flowers like poppies and cornflowers help conjure the cottage gardens of the Regency era.” Her approach to embracing the informality of a true cottage garden is also an easy to follow formula: “use simple forms of native bulbs, and mix things up in true cottage garden style.”

Lizzie’s advice is to “create lots of spaces to walk – a shrubbery and a wilderness are essential. Remember that you are a part of the natural world, and that you are gardening with nature, rather than against it.”

In the gardens of Jane Austen’s House in Chawton, this philosophy lingers in every border and pathway. A garden rooted in history yet still very alive in the present, it’s impossible to leave without feeling inspired to return.

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With thanks to Lizzie and Michele for their time

Jane Austen's House in Chawton,
Winchester Rd, Chawton, Alton GU34 1SD
Open 10am–5pm, Tickets from £14.50 with concessions available

Visit their website for up to date opening times and visting information

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