Damian is taking the opportunity to highlight some of the wonderful places and events here in East Hampshire that not only make it a fantastic place to live but also to visit.
The third in a series of videos, Damian talks about the literary heritage of the area, and the places that celebrate this.
Literary Heritage - Video #3
The theme for this video is our wonderful literary heritage, and East Hampshire is probably best known for its association with Jane Austen and her wonderful writing.
Jane lived in Chawton for 8 years and it is where she wrote or revised some of her most cherished novels.
The Jane Austen House museum will be familiar to many, but maybe less well known is Chawton House, just up the road, home to Jane’s brother Edward and a place she visited often.
Now a renowned library, with a unique collection of women’s writing, it is open to the public, including the reading room to view manuscripts, as well as wonderful gardens and tearoom.
For anyone with an interest in poetry, Edward Thomas will be a name they know well. A resident of Steep near Petersfield, Edward took inspiration from the natural beauty of the South Downs and also from his time serving in the First World War.
Petersfield Museum now houses the Edward Thomas Study Centre, an important research resource, that is open to visitors, and others will have seen the memorial stone on the Hangers laid in his name. There is also the Edward Thomas bar at the White Horse Inn (the 'pub with no name') at Priorsdean, and the Whistler stained glass memorial windows in Steep Church.
And of course there is Gilbert White, whose book from 1789 “The Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne” remains one of the most published works in the English language. Gilbert White's House & Gardens is where he lived and the museum is a wonderful place to visit.
Last but not least, there is Flora Thompson. Famed for her trilogy Lark Rise to Candleford, Flora lived and worked in Liphook for thirteen years.
Several tributes to her can be found around the village, including a bronze sculpture of her housed in the library, and this year is the 75th anniversary of her death back in 1947.
A formidable roll call of literary talent!
Finally, there is the upcoming Jane Austen Regency Week, that will be back in Alton later in June. A nine day festival that includes Regency Dancing, a Regency Supper, horse drawn carriage rides and even a parade and picnic to Chawton House.
The outfits and atmosphere really are something not to be missed.
Links to the places mentioned above:
Jane Austen's House - https://janeaustens.house/jane-austen/
Chawton House - https://chawtonhouse.org/
Petersfield Museum - https://www.petersfieldmuseum.co.uk/collection/edward-thomas
Gilbert White's House & Garden - https://gilbertwhiteshouse.org.uk/
Flora Thompson - http://www.johnowensmith.co.uk/flora/index.htm
Jane Austen Regency Week - http://www.janeaustenregencyweek.co.uk/
Other useful links:
https://www.visit-hampshire.co.uk/things-to-do/attractions/literary-her…
http://www.janeaustentrail.org.uk/
https://www.visit-hampshire.co.uk/things-to-do/flora-thompson-circular-…
http://www.liphookheritage.org.uk/
http://buriton.org.uk/history/local-luminaries-famous-people-from-the-a…
