It’s sunny and serene here in Jane Austen country (Chawton, Hampshire), but of course there are plenty of undercurrents. Here’s the “cottage” where Jane lived with her mother, sister and a friend for the last years of her life, rent-free courtesy of her brother Edward. She wrote most of the great novels here.
And here is where Edward lived. Called “lucky Edward,” he was adopted by rich relations and inherited not only this grand estate at Chawton but also two others. Servants, tenants, income, etc.
Jane was grateful for the use of the library in the big house. And she was happy to live in the smaller house where she shared a bedroom with sister Cassandra. Here’s the tiny desk where she wrote those novels.
