Shopping where Jane shopped for books!

View of College Street from P & G Wells bookshop with Jane's last home in the background. 

You may well have walked past Jane Austen's last home on College Street, Winchester, right behind the walls of Winchester Cathedral. In May, 1817, Jane came to Winchester to be under the care of Mr Lyford, as the Alton Apothecary, William Curtis, had not been able to revive her health. Sadly, there was not much Mr Lyford could do, and Jane passed away two months later. 

                                                        Jane's last home at 8, College Street. 

There is another building on College Street, which the Austen family were familiar with: the P & G Wells bookshop. The bookshop is one of my children's favourite shops, as it has a wonderful chilren's section upstairs and such a lovely, oldy-worldy ambience. 

Did you know that P & G Wells bookshop claims to be Britain's oldest bookshop? Whilst the shop is named after Joseph Wells, who ran the bookshop from 1866, the shop was originally opened by 'gentleman bookseller', John Burdon, as early as 1789. 

The Austen family held an account at Burdon's, and on 25th November, 1798, Jane wrote to Cassandra from Steventon: "We have got Boswell's 'Tour of the Hebrides', and are to have his 'Life of Johnson'; and, as some money will yet remain in Burdon's hands, it will be laid out in the purchase of Cowper's Works". We know that Cowper was Jane's favourite poet, and Jane greatly admired Samuel Johnson, so perhaps she acquired some of her very favourite books from this bookshop at College Street. 

There were some lovely displays, such as this shelf dedicated to Jane Austen. 

I spotted another favourite of mine, William Blake, whose "Songs of Innocence" was published in the same year as the shop was opened! 

I heartily recommend visiting this atmospheric, classic bookshop when you next visit Winchester. 

References: 

Le Faye, Deirdre. (2011) Jane Austen's Letters. Fourth Edition. OUP.

My visit to Winchester and Jane's last home: https://austenised.blogspot.com/2010/08/following-janes-last-journey.html

About William Curtis, the Alton Apothecary: https://austenised.blogspot.com/2017/06/jane-austen-and-her-alton-apothy.html