Let’s be honest, we could all use a break from twenty-first-century reality now and then. And if diving into a period drama doesn’t offer enough escapism for you, how about retreating to the actual place where Jane Austen was born (and penned her most loved novels)? Who knows, it might even inspire the romantic writer inside you.
Steventon House, which sits on the Hampshire estate that was home to the author, is now on sale. But if you want to get your hands on it, you’ll need to be pretty damn loaded – the asking price is £8.5 million.
Austen lived in a stately home on the estate from 1775 to 1801, and it was where she wrote ‘Pride and Prejudice’, ‘Northanger Abbey’ and ‘Sense and Sensibility’. After most of the family had moved away, Austen’s brother Edward replaced the original rectory with a more modern Georgian mansion.
The Grade II-listed building has numerous Georgian features including high ceilings and stately fireplaces. The new inhabitants will have the run of several reception rooms, a massive kitchen and six bedrooms, including a master suite with a dressing room and walk-in wardrobe.
Spread across the 50-acre grounds, you’ll find other luxuries including a tennis court, a greenhouse, a kitchen garden, a heated swimming pool and a cute little two-bed cottage. Savills dubbed it ‘the rarest of opportunities to live in one of Hampshire’s, if not the UK’s most significant country houses’.
Want to find out more about the property? You can see the official listing here.
Stay in the loop: sign up to Out There, our free newsletter about all the best stuff to do across the UK.