Celebrating Jane

Jane Austen is buried in the north nave aisle of Winchester Cathedral and visitors travel from around the world, throughout the year, to pay their respects.

Visitors often leave letters and flowers next to Jane Austen’s brass memorial plaque, at the side of her grave. There are many candle stands around the cathedral, as well as quiet chapels, if you would like a quiet moment to sit and reflect.

If you struggle to locate the grave, please don’t hesitate to ask a member of staff or volunteer guide to help you.

Step into the story!

This immersive tour invites visitors to explore a series of captivating light and sound installations, bathing every inch of the Cathedral interior in light and sound, celebrating the rich tapestry of literature, poetry, and the oral traditions.

Delve into dedicated areas that honour literary giants from Jane Austen to Shakespeare, with immersive experiences that breathe life into these timeless works. Children’s literature and classic tales are also celebrated, creating an captivating and mesmerising atmosphere for audiences of all ages.

You will go to the ball!

This is a very unique opportunity to step back in time and take part in a traditional Regency Ball. Be serenaded by The Warleggan Village Band (as seen on BBC TV’s Poldark) and enjoy a dance performance by the Hampshire Regency Dancers before taking to the floor yourself.

It’s not mandatory to wear Regency attire, but this offers a great chance to dig out your glad rags. A great opportunity to get another wear out of your prom, bridesmaid or wedding dress, or your best suit!

Feel transported to another time and enjoy an unforgettable evening with family and friends.

Booking has not yet opened.

Visit the ‘Angelic Women: The friendship of Jane Austen and Anne Lefroy’ exhibition.

A special opportunity to view the original manuscript of Jane Austen’s poem, in her hand, about the death of her close friend, Mrs Anne Lefroy. Anne was a mentor to Jane, encouraging her writing and sharing her extensive library before Anne’s untimely death following a riding accident in 1804.

Don’t forget to visit the Cathedral Scribes, who are located on the same floor as this exhibition, to find out more about penmanship and calligraphy. Why not purchase a postcard of the famous poem while you’re here and ask a Scribe to handwrite a message for you?

No pre-booking required, entry to the exhibition is included with your annual pass. You can buy your annual pass online, or when you arrive at the cathedral.

Image credit: Jane Austens House

Jane Austen was born in Steventon, near Basingstoke, Hampshire in 1775. She died in Winchester in 1817, in rented rooms in College Street. She knew and loved the Cathedral and is buried in the north aisle. Her brother Henry composed the inscription for her ledger stone.

This tour offers an intimate and often amusing insight into her life and connections within the Cathedral.

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Please note that the tour includes a short walk, weather permitting, outside the Cathedral precinct. If you do have mobility issues, please let us know when making a booking.

Included with your annual pass, no booking required, simply head to the Welcome Desk upon arrival to the cathedral to collect your ‘invitation to Jane Austen’s party’.

Journey around the cathedral, follow the clues and meet characters on route to the party, completing challenges along the way.

The openings of Jane Austen’s novels.

We tend to ‘read for the ending’, accelerating as we approach the denouement: who dunnit? or, whom did they marry, and why? But let’s pause for a moment and look at the beginning. Michael Wheeler starts with some good and some very bad novel openings. He then homes in on the openings of Jane Austen’s six published novels, pages that demonstrate her genius, especially her wit and economy, as she creates the ‘world’ of each work of fiction.

Michael Wheeler is a cultural historian of the nineteenth century and currently a Visiting Professor of English at the University of Southampton. He was Professor of English Literature at Lancaster University, where he masterminded the project to build the Ruskin Library and was the founding Director of the Ruskin Centre. He then helped to establish Chawton House library, lecturing on Jane Austen in many parts of the world, before going freelance in 2001. Michael contributed the chapter on her religious life to Jane Austen in Context (CUP) and wrote the pamphlet on Jane Austen and Winchester Cathedral (Winchester Cathedral). He has lectured in eighteen countries overseas, has served as a Lay Canon of Winchester Cathedral and is a regular contributor to the Church Times. His latest books are The Year That Shaped the Victorian Age: Loves, Lives and Letters of 1845 (Cambridge UP, 2023) and William Ewart Gladstone: the Heart and Soul of a Statesman for Oxford UP’s Spiritual Lives series (2025).

Booking has not yet opened.

Wedding bells; soaring music and sunny skies; a kiss shared by the happy couple: Jane Austen’s novels, when adapted for the screen, invariably end with the marriage of the hero and heroine. On the page, Austen’s endings are more complex.

In this talk, Dr Gillian Dow (University of Southampton) will range across Austen’s published and unpublished writing, looking in detail at the choices Austen made when concluding her fictions.

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To mark the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth, Winchester Cathedral will hold a special service featuring beautiful music, readings and prayers.

This will be a ticketed service, booking is not yet open.

Worship at Winchester Cathedral is always free of charge.

More information coming soon.

Jane Austen’s grave is a principal destination for many visitors, though it doesn’t do justice to her moral vision or enduring literary legacy.

The Cathedral Chapter have therefore worked in close collaboration with Martin Jennings, one of the country’s leading figurative sculptors (more recently known for his portrait of King Charles III for the Royal Mint), to develop an outdoor memorial to Austen.

There are no uncontested portraits of Jane Austen, but Jennings has studied the available evidence to produce a likeness. His overall conception, reflected in her expression and posture, emphasises her moral vision and the strength of her literary legacy.

Located in the Inner Close, set against the homely backdrop of No 9 the Close, she stands as an authoritative and elegant figure, with her characteristic ringlets and cap, by her famous writing table.

The sculpture aims to represent her as closely to life-size as possible: Austen was about 1.7m.

Don’t forget to browse the Jane Austen-inspired gifts on offer at the Gift Shop, from books and mugs, to tea towels and decorations, there’s something for everyone to remember their trip to Winchester on this historic milestone.

Do look out for the special arrangements by Jane Austen’s grave which will reflect on themes of friendship as well as direct quotes from her books.

There will be large displays created for special dates between 23rd May – 22nd September including, British Flower Week (3rd – 9th June 2025), the anniversary of Jane Austen’s death (18th July),  the anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth (16th December) and in time for the special service taking place in September.

Making for a great photo opportunity, don’t forget to take a photo next to these impressive displays.

Come along to celebrate the very best new fiction and non-fiction with a faith perspective. Come for one event, one day, or the whole weekend.

Don’t miss…

On Friday 28th February at 4.00pm, Rachael Mann and Paula Hollingsworth will lead a talk ‘The Spirituality of Jane Austen’, chaired by Michael Wheeler. Later that day, at 5.30pm, Edward Stourton will reflect on ‘Jane Austen’s glittering irony at the opening of Pride and Prejudice’ in his talk ‘Can Truth Survive in a Digital Age?’.

On Saturday 1st March (1.30pm), Chine McDonald will lead the talk ‘Memento mori: Life, Death and Faith at the Edges of Motherhood’ where she notes ‘Jane Austen mocks the trope of mothers dying in childbirth’.