Jane Austen’s writing slope, along with her spectacles and manuscript of one of her early works, are now back in Hampshire, the county of her birth on a temporary loan to the Willis Museum.
Maria Miller MP and The Hampshire Cultural Trust have been working with the British Library to secure an agreement for the pieces to be loaned from the library’s collections.
The historic items are on display at the Willis Museum in Basingstoke in early 2016 and will allow Hampshire residents to see these great pieces of local history right on their doorstep.
Attendees at the Launch heard Rebecca Smith, a descendant of Jane Austen read from her letters and her novel “Emma.” Lisa Timbs also played pieces from the Austen Era on the Pianola.
Representatives from the Basingstoke Heritage Society, Hidden Britain Tours, Destination Basingstoke and Dr Simon Barnard who supervised the testing of Jane Austen’s spectacles attended the launch.
Maria Miller, MP for Basingstoke, commented “Jane Austen was born in the Borough in Steventon and lived here for more than 25 years. Jane's friends and family lived in Basingstoke and the surrounding villages - it is here where she danced, shopped and met the people who, some think, influenced the characters she wrote about in her books. In the run up to 2017, 200 years since her death, Basingstoke should celebrate its most famous daughter, one of the world's foremost and finest novelists."
The Hampshire Cultural Trust also announced Jane Austen 200, Hampshire’s big theme for 2017 coinciding with the 200th anniversary of Jane Austen’s death. The year 2017 will see a wealth of exhibitions, events and activities related to the famous author at museums and arts venues across the county.