Winchester DS students meet distant relative of Jane Austen!

 

We all had a wonderful academic special on Monday 29th July! We went to Chawton where Jane Austen lived for the last happy and most productive years of her life. Our host for the visit was none other than Jeremy Knight, a relative of Jane Austen! Jeremy spent time telling us how he had lived in the house as a boy and young man before the house was sold by his family and became the museum.

We learnt how to make lavender bags and tried to write with a quill and ink as Jane Austin herself did on her little writing table.

 

 

Anna, Bilge, Oyku, Lea & Dominica

 

 

 

Filipo & Ryusuke

 

 

(Hazal woz 'ere!)

 

In the old kitchen...

 

 

 

 

Bilge & Oyku in Regency dresses and bonnets in the museum garden: don't they look lovely? Oyku's dress had a small loop on the hem that she is holding up in her right hand; now she's ready to dance...!

 

 

 

 

After visiting the museum and watching a film to help us all put Jane Austen and the museum into context, we walked to the villge church where Marcel gave us the benefit of his extensive knowlegde of Jane Austen and her family. Her mother and sister are buried in the churchyard there, but Jane herself was buried in Winchester Cathedral.

 

 

 

 

Here is the group in front of the museum, with the DSW umbrella & the British flag flying!