Uncovering Steventon Church

A few weeks ago as I was driving past Steventon on the way back from work, I decided to make a diversion to pay my respects to Jane Austen at her birthplace.

I last visited Steventon in the winter when the roads were slippery with sleet, and there was an eerie mist about the village. What a different world it was this time around as Steventon was at its greenest, with lush high hedgerows and green arches of foliage sheltering the roads that lead up to Steventon Church.

This time, I had the opportunity to enter the church where Jane Austen's father, George, preached.I last visited the church a few years ago, but my photos from inside the church were disappointing so I decided to go inside to to try and get some better shots.

There were some memorial plaques for Jane Austen and her family members. Her brother, James, followed George Austen as Rector here and there is also a plaque for his wives, Anne and Mary, and their graves can also be found in the graveyard. William Knight, Jane Austen's nephew, is also well represented here.

There are also memorials to the Digweed family who were tenants on the estate, living in the manor house, and very close friends of the Austens.

Some of these made me feel sad. 

It is wonderful to see some little touches to Jane Austen inside the church, such as these cute pew cushions and a print of her prayer.

I understand that most of the interior of the church is unaltered since Jane worshipped here, but the wall murals date back to the Victorian era.

James and Mary Austen's gravestones in the churchyard.

Whenever I see an old gravestone covered in moss, it makes me feel somewhat downhearted, and I felt like scraping the moss off to reveal the names better and give the Austens their due respect. Steventon is, after all, the birthplace of the Austens who are the most notable family in the entire district of Basingstoke.

Starstruck at Chawton House

It is Regency Week in Alton again, and today I attended a beautiful summer picnic at Chawton House.

Preparations for the picnic...

The picnic was organised by Caroline Jane Knight, a descendant of Jane Austen's brother, Edward, who grew up in the house, in aid of the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation, founded by Ms Knight. This year, the foundation are raising funds to provide education and resources to a cluster of five schools in impoverished areas of Delhi, India - a very worthy cause close to my own heart, as I have a history of charity work in India. 

The picnic was organised together with the Jane Austen Parade for Literacy, which is the second of its kind. This year, the event attracted far more people, and it was lovely to see so many clad in period attire as well. 

Caroline Jane Knight with Susannah Harker

We assembled at Jane Austen's House, where we met Caroline Jane Knight and *FANFARE* Susannah Harker, who acted Jane Bennet in my favourite version of Pride and Prejudice (1995)! 

I was also excited to meet a fellow blogger, Tony Grant, who writes the fascinating and informative blog, London Calling, for the first time after exchanging ideas through our blogs for the last nine years. Is it really that long since I started Austenised?

                                                      Paying our respects to the statue of Jane Austen at Chawton Church on our way to Chawton House. 

We then walked to Chawton House where our lovely Regency-inspired picnic was served on the lawn in front of Jane's "Great House". What a perfect setting for a summer picnic, especially as we were blessed with good weather after several weeks of downpour. We had a taste of Georgian lemonade, buns filled with cheese and chutney, pork pies (unless you were a vegetarian like myself), ginger biscuits, and a  delicious strawberry tartlet amongst other things - all put together by Caroline Jane Knight after a lot of research into 18th/19th Century dishes. 

We then enjoyed a lovely programme put together by Caroline and Jane Austen superfan Sophie Andrews together with her "Pineapple" society. The highlight of the programme must have been a snippet of the new play created by Susannah Harker and her sister, Nelly. The play is called "The Austen Sisters" , and it is touring theatres this summer. The play features interactions between the two Austen sisters and, and based on the short sample, will certainly be a hilarious but very apt take of Jane and Cassandra. 

Susannah and Nelly Harker as Cassandra and Jane Austen.

Compulsory fan photo (sorry, Susannah!).

With Jeremy Knight, of the Knights of Chawton (Caroline's father).

It was lovely to meet several of my fellow Jane Austen bloggers. Rita L. Watts, one of the Literacy Ambassadors of the foundation, who blogs at All Things Jane Austen, had come all the way from Boston to participate in the Regency Week events. I also met Mira Magdo from Obsessed with Mr Darcy and many more familiar bloggers.

Cass Grafton, Rita L Watts and J. B. Grantham (photo courtesy Rita Watts). 

With Mira Magdo.

We also enjoyed some musical performances and readings done by the brilliant Alison Larkin and the very talented Pineapples, as well as some Regency dancing and games. All in all a very pleasant afternoon, and I will certainly participate again, should the foundation decide to continue the tradition next year. 

The Pineapples showing us the moves.

Winter Visit to Basildon Park (Netherfield)

Yesterday I visited Basildon Park, a large, beautiful Georgian country house owned by the National Trust and situated in the Thames Valley in Berkshire, down the road from Reading. I had been hoping to visit the place for quite some time, as the mansion is famous for serving as a filming location for several period dramas, such as Downton Abbey, the Duchess, and Pride and Prejudice (2005). 

Admittedly, I am no fan of the 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice, as I am only too conscious of the historical inaccuracies in this adaptation of one of my favourite novels. However, I do admit that many of the locations in the film are gorgeous and, cinematographically, the film does have some beautiful scenes in it. 

In the film, Basildon Park is the location of Netherfield, Mr Bingley's home. The two main scenes filmed there include the Netherfield Ball (filmed in the dining room) and Lizzy's visit to Netherfield (filmed in the Octagon Room). The Dining Room (below) was also used as a location for the Downton Abbey London home. 

A volunteer, who was there during the shooting of Pride and Prejudice, interestingly told me that the filming day was an extremely hot summer's day. There were up to 200 people in the Dining Room at any one time with the dancers, the orchestra, and the filming crew all packed in these sweaty conditions. The number of people seems very large, as the room is not as spacious at it appears on film, with a large mirror mounted on the back wall creating an illusion of extra space. In addition, there were decorated boards covering the original design of the walls, making the room even smaller! The furniture was obviously moved from the room, as was the 200-year-old carpet, for the duration of the dancing. 

The allegedly 200-year-old carpet that was rolled up and stored in the attic for the duration of the filming.

The Octagon Room (below) was the scene of some prickly repartee, where Mr Darcy and Mr Bingley admire the ladies and pass some comments while  Lizzy takes a turn about the room with Miss Bingley. Here, too, the original crimson-coloured walls walls were covered with pastel-coloured board, changing the entire look of the room. 

The mansion itself dates back to the 18th Century (Georgian era) and was commissioned by Francis Sykes in 1771. Having made a fortune in the East India Company, Sykes was looking for a home befitting his status, and Basildon Park just served the purpose. For this reason, there is a room dedicated to India downstairs (below), beautifully decorated with elaborate landscape wallpaper. The room displays Indian items of clothing and stories written by people about their memories from India. I almost felt like writing a memoir of my own and adding it in! Or perhaps I could have added the bit about Jane Austen and her Colonial Connections...

A kurta and a sari and pictures of Indian nawabs with exotic wallpaper. 

Some of the original Georgian features were still there, such as this beautiful ceiling decorated with plasterwork. 

We also had a look at the bedrooms, some of which still had a period design. 

This regal-looking four-poster bed dates back to the 1820s. 

This one was more modern, with textiles designed by the the last resident of the house, Lady Ilyffe. 

The drawing room displayed some impressive paintings from the family collection. 

       

I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to Basildon Park and its beautiful parkland, with glimpses of the Thames flowing right below (almost visible in the picture below)... 

A Drive Through Wintry Steventon

Today as I drove past the road leading to Steventon on my way from work, I couldn't resist the temptation to brave the weather and drive through Steventon to catch a glimpse of the village in its wintry glory.

Steventon is the birthplace of Jane Austen where she lived the first 26 years of her life. I took these photos from the tiny road leading to St Nicholas Church where Jane Austen's father, George Austen, was Rector. 

Snowdrops adorned the entrance to the church (which to my disappointment was closed for the day). 

The area around St Nicholas Church had an eerie feel about it during the misty hours of the afternoon. Quite a different experience to visiting here in the summer.

Scenes of idyllic village life. 

I had to have a peek through the high, thick hedgerow to the field where Steventon Rectory once stood. This was where Jane Austen was born and where she grew up. 

As I drive through the beautiful Hampshire countryside, I can certainly understand why Jane Austen loved her home county and neighbourhood so much.