Sense & Sensibility Scenes

On Easter Monday the sun was blazing down on Jane Austen’s House Museum, which was perfect weather for our first ever outdoor performances. Ruffled Umbrella are a small theatre company who “create theatre that captivates and surrounds an audience”. They performed two scenes from Sense and Sensibility in the garden. The first, adapted from Chapter 2, in which John Dashwood and his wife Fanny discuss whether to give his sisters any financial support after the death of their father. And the second is the heartfelt scene between Elinor Dashwood and Willoughby in Chapter 44 where he desperately tries to justify his behavior towards Marianne.
The audience gently gathered on the grass as the actors began. Dressed in elegant replica costumes the actors immediately took the garden back to Regency England as Elinor Dashwood paced across the lawn in a long swishing skirt. The performances added a fresh and lively dimension to the atmosphere at the house and really brought it to life. It was wonderful to see these intimate dialogues performed so close to the audience and made us feel as though we’d stumbled across a real conversation.

Quote from Chapter 44
"You are very wrong, Mr. Willoughby; very blamable," said Elinor; while her voice, in spite of herself, betrayed her compassionate emotion; "you ought not to speak in this way, either of Mrs. Willoughby or my sister. You had made your own choice. It was not forced on you.”


For more information on future productions and performances by Ruffled Umbrella visit www.ruffledumbrella.co.uk

Swallows have returned

The swallows are back! The male is busy feathering the nest for his mate. He is darting in and out of the rafters under the alcove. We've been deliberating as to whether this generation of swallows are descendants of Austen swallows. I looked up some information on Wikipedia -
"Migratory species often return to the same breeding area each year, and may select the same nest site if they were previously successful in that location. First-year breeders generally select a nesting site close to where they were born and raised."

Chawton House Library have also recently had their swallows return to the nest. So maybe it is still the case that siblings reside in both homes in Chawton, just like Edward and Jane.

The Return of the Swallows

Each Spring I fear the swallows will not come
and the rafter nest will remain empty
of new life. Flying away last Autumn,
heading southwards to Africa, first he,
then she, winged wildly about my head -
a valediction before facing unknown
skies. Are they tied by invisible thread,
as am I, to this point, this house, this home?

For generations this place has held call
over travellers, swallows and searchers
of calm. Over those seeking out one small
corner, one spot in the world that nurtures.
Each Spring I celebrate when I am wrong -
this is where the swallows, and I, belong.

By Madelaine Smith (our multi talented marketing manager)

Pilgrimage

Visiting the place where Jane Austen actually sat and wrote her incredible novels is a dream come true for many of our visitors. Often they have read Austen and dreamed of Darcy since they were young and have been waiting for this moment for many years. A unique connection is made when you step inside her house and look out of her bedroom window. You glimpse how she might have lived and worked, and can begin to understand the women behind the novels.

People travel across the globe just to spend a few hours in her home. It has a magnetic pull on anyone who has once imagined themselves as Lizzie Bennet or Marianne Dashwood. Being inside the house lets you share moments with Jane Austen you can literally walk in her footsteps and experience what she may have felt.

Comments flood the visitor book with praise and thanks, and reveals what an emotional experience it is to many people.

"I am so glad I have finally managed to visit this wonderful place after three years of waiting"

"Wow it's so hard not to cry!"

" A wonderful and emotional experience to walk in the steps of Jane Austen for a short time!"

"a dream come true"

"lovely living tribute to someone I wish to get to know better"

It seems that for many people being in her home is part of an ongoing relationship that they develop with her as not only an author of their favourite books but also as a woman. Recently Isabel and I have found a few gifts and offerings to Jane and the house. I found a carefully made fan of hearts hung on a door handle in The Austen Family room. Each heart has a name of a character from Sense and Sensibility and they rotate to align with different people.





Isabel found this letter to Jane yesterday in the bedroom...



Who knows whether Jane receives these letters and offerings, but the staff at the museum love them! And it reminds us how lucky we are to work metres away from where the magic happened.