Alton was resplendent in full Regency splendor today, marking the start of the annual Jane Austen Regency Week. This nine-day festival, held each June across Alton, Chawton, and Selborne, celebrates the life and legacy of the town’s most celebrated writer. This year’s festivities are particularly significant, commemorating the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth - an occasion marked by the unveiling of a new statue in the Assembly Gardens.