Annex to country house in Jane Austen’s Chawton

We are offering a beautifully refurbished, completely self-contained annex, in our lovely house "Prowtings" in the the village of Chawton. The annex sleeps four, in two double bedrooms in the original old section of the house, dated 1713. There is a large living area, new kitchen, downstairs toilet, modern bathroom, parking and guests have their own entrance. The house sits in 7 acres of land in the middle of Chawton, which is a charming village full of thatched cottages. The annex is clean, light and airy and very well equipped with everything you will need for a comfortable stay. You'll have your own front door access, living room/dining room, kitchen, separate cloakroom and toilet downstairs. Upstairs is the bath and shower room and two large double bedrooms looking out over the front lawns. The bedrooms both have wardrobes and chests of drawers and we provide all bedding and towels, toiletries, a hairdryer, alarm clock and Wifi. The kitchen has all the modcons - dishwasher, coffee maker, toaster, kettle, oven, fridge, utensils, cutlery etc. The living area has a dining table and chairs, two sofas, a coffee table, TV, DVD player and a selection of DVDs, a writing desk, lots of books and plenty of local information about things to do and places to see and maps to help you get around. We are always on hand if you need anything else. Please contact us if you are looking for more accommodation, as we can make another bedroom available. You will have your own private front door and key so can come and go as you please. We do not have access to the annex when guests are staying. You will be able to park directly outside your front door (up the sweeping drive!) and are welcome to enjoy the garden and feed the sheep. As much or as little as you wish. We would be happy to help if you need us. We will be in the main house and always contactable. Chawton is one of the most picturesque villages in Hampshire and regarded as the literary home of Jane Austen. She moved here in 1809 with her family and happily spent the last 8 years of her life here producing all her novels - revising previous drafts, including Pride and Prejudice, and writing her three later novels including Emma. She expressed her joy at being in Chawton in a poem to her brother in 26 July, 1809: My dearest Frank, I wish you joy: "Our Chawton home, how much we find Already in it, to our mind; And how convinced, that when complete It will all other Houses beat That ever have been made or mended With rooms concise, or rooms distended." The village is steeped in Jane Austen history. The Jane Austen House Museum is almost next door to us, the wonderful Chawton House an Elizabethan Manor (once owned by Jane Austen's brother Edward Knight), with it's sweeping lawns, terraces, walled garden and tearoom is a 5 minutes stroll away and you'll find the Austen and Prowtings families buried in the churchyard of our ancient village church. Jane was friendly with the Prowtings family and would visit them here. Our house features in her letters and there is a picture of it, as it was in her day, hanging in the Museum. The village is a piece of quintessential old England, it is full of pretty thatched cottages, has a lovely park with children's playground, a very good child friendly pub, village hall and shop. It sits within the South Downs National Park and is described as 'a jewel of a village'. We are surrounded by stunning Hampshire countryside full of birds and wildlife and perfect for exploring either by foot or bike. There are many walks through and from the village including the "Jane Austen Walk" which is a 4.5 mile circular walk and features our home, Prowtings. (Website hidden by Airbnb) The market town of Alton is 5 minutes by car and 15 minutes on foot. It has a variety of supermarkets, shops, banks and things to do. You can ride the steam trains on the Watercress Line, visit the Curtis Museum, the Allen Gallery and the public gardens and playground (where you might catch a concert band performing) or go to the sports centre for a swim or a climb on the climbing wall! There are lots of other historic towns within 15 - 30 minutes drive Alresford, Farnham, Guildford, Winchester with its fantastic old town and Cathedral and Portsmouth with the unmissable Historic Dockyard. For the children; Birdworld, Alice Holt Adventure Forest and Winchester Science Museum are within 20 minutes drive, Basingstoke with great shopping and leisure facilities (cinemas, ice skating, bowling, aquadrome) within 25 minutes and Marwell Zoo, Legoland Windsor, Chessington World of Adventures and Paultons Park within 45 minutes drive. The South Coast, New Forest and London are reachable within an hour by car and easily accessible for a day out. Alton Train Station also has direct trains to London Waterloo, which take roughly an hour. There is a bus stop in Chawton with links to Alton, Winchester, and Arlesford. Alton has buses to Basingstoke, Petersfield, Guildford and direct trains to London. There are also a number of taxi firms in Alton. If you are travelling by train to or from Alton we will drop you off or collect you where possible (£5 each way). Please make sure you enjoy yourself😀