Bath

ST. SWITHIN's CHURCH

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It continues to hold significance as the final resting place of Mr George Austen, buried here in 1805, and his gravestone is still visible on the grounds today.

If you would like to access the website for St Swithin's Church, click here.

12 ROYAL CRESCENT

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Reverend Edward Cooper and his wife moved here when it was newly built at the end of 1771, along with their young children, Edward and Jane. They remained here for nine years. 

                                                              Photos: Royal Crescent, Bath, featuring No.12

It was a highly fashionable address and remains so today.

If you would like to experience what it was like to live there during the time of our novel, the No. 1 Royal Crescent Museum provides the opportunity. You can access the museum website here.

14 bennett street

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When the Coopers outgrew their home in Royal Crescent, they moved to 14 Bennett Street in 1781. It was ideally placed for society as it was close to the Assembly Rooms. The Coopers lived there happily until 1783 when tragedy struck and Mrs Cooper died of typhus. 

Photo: Bennett Street, Bath

In 1784, Reverend Edward Cooper took up a new living in Sonning, Berkshire and moved away from Bath. He retained one floor of the property for occasional use and rented out the rest to tenants. He eventually gave up the lease in 1799. 

It is not obvious today which door would have led to number 14 as it has since been divided into different residences. 

No.1 the paragon

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Photos: The Paragon, Bath, featuring No. 1.

This was the second home of Mr and Mrs Leigh Perrot from the mid 1770s. They would share their time between here and their primary home of 'Scarlets' in Berkshire. Mr James Leigh- Perrot suffered from gout and rheumatism, and so the medicinal waters in Bath were sought to revive him. 

Mrs Austen brought her daughters to stay here in November 1797 for a month and it may have been around this time that Jane Austen's silhouette was taken by a local artist. This is now displayed in the National Portrait Gallery and entitled 'Possibly Jane Austen'. You can find more information about the silhouette here.

Today part of the property is let as a holiday apartment.  You can find out how to stay on the Bath Self Catering website here.

Numbers 1 to 21 in the street are all listed buildings. Historic details for each of the properties in the row are on the website for British Listed Buildings. Follow the link here.

13 queen square

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Photos: Queen Square, Bath (featuring No. 13)

This was the house that Edward Austen took during May and June 1799, when he visited Bath with his wife, Elizabeth, his two eldest children, Fanny and Edward Jr, and Mrs Austen and Jane. They all lodged together to take the waters and try the new experimental treatments which Edward had come for to improve his health.

Their trip is well documented in a collection of Jane Austen's surviving letters dating from Friday 17 May, to Wednesday 19th June, 1799. From this correspondence, we learn much about their social activities, the people they met and life in Bath at the time. You can read these letters online, courtesy of Project Gutenberg, here.

bath street

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This was the street where Smiths Milliners stood, on the corner of Bath Street and Stall Street. It was where Mrs Jane Leigh-Perrot was accused of shoplifting a card of white lace in August 1799. She was held prisoner in Somerset until the following spring, when she faced a trial in March 1800 to be cleared of all the charges laid against her. 

Photos: Bath Street, Bath.

The allegations of theft and the subsequent trial brought scandal to the family, yet Mrs Austen and James Austen were firm in their support of her innocence; they corresponded with her throughout the whole time she was held as a prisoner. 

Since then, much has been written about Mrs Leigh-Perrot's character and the trial, and debates continue about whether she was truly innocent of the crime, or whether it was her wealth and status that were responsible for escaping the punishment of transportation to Australia, or even death.

A good place to start, if you would like to learn more about this topic, is an article written by David Pugsley, available in Persuasions On-Line of the Jane Austen Society of North America (JASNA). You can access the article here.

MILSOM STREET

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This was the main shopping street in Bath and very fashionable. It was mentioned in both Northanger Abbey and Persuasion so we can be sure that the Austens were familiar with it. It still retains many of its original features today.

You can read more about Milsom Street on the Visit Bath blog here.

THE PUMP ROOM

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This is where people went to drink the warm spa water full of minerals, as a tonic to improve their health. It was the place to be seen whilst in Bath, and where people would promenade up and down to be noticed.

Today it is a restaurant and if you would like to visit, there is a link to The Pump Room Restaurant from The Roman Bath website, available here.

Photos: The Pump Rooms, Bath

Photos: Bath Assembly Rooms (National Trust) Bath.

SYDNEY GARDENS

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These were popular pleasure gardens that were lit up at night and held regular entertainments such as firework displays, circus acts and musical performances. There was opportunity for eating, tea drinking and playing card games, as well as for taking exercise. Jane Austen mentions them in a letter to her sister on June 2nd, 1799 when she was staying in Bath with her mother and Edward:

“There is to be a grand gala on Tuesday evening in Sydney Gardens, a concert, with illuminations and fireworks."

 They are still a popular attraction for visitors and locals today, and you can find out more on the Visit Sydney Gardens webpage from Bath and North East Somerset Council here.

There is also a link from there to an article written by Gemma Burgham entitled 'The Pleasure Gardens in the Past' which you can read here.

Photos: Sydney Gardens, Bath.

PULTENEY BRIDGE

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This was a revelation of Georgian architecture when it was completed in 1774, as it was not only a way of linking two separate parts of Bath together, from opposite sides of the river, but the bridge included a row of shops built over the water.

There have been several renovations since then due to safety concerns, but it still maintains some of its originality. You can read about the history of Pulteney Bridge on its Wikipedia page here.

Photos: Pulteney Bridge, Bath

HETLING PUMP ROOM

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This was famously mentioned in one of Jane Austen's surviving letters to her sister, Cassandra, when she wrote about the intentions of their brother Edward, during their residency in Queen's Square in 1799.

"He drinks at the Hetling Pump, is to bathe tomorrow, and try Electricity on Tuesday." 

The hot mineral spa is now part of a modern bathing facility - Thermae Bath Spa. There is information about the history of the spa waters on its website, including an analysis of the special properties of the Hetling Pump water. You can find out more by clicking here.

Photos: Hetling Pump Room, Bath

JANE AUSTEN CENTRE

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This is an absolute 'MUST VISIT' if you are an Austen fan. There is a team of guides to provide you with information about Bath during the Georgian period, along with lots of information about the Austen family when they lived there.

It is open all year round and there is also a Regency Tea Room on the top floor, that you can visit independently from the museum.

You can find out more about the museum and the tearoom on the Jane Austen Centre website here.

Photos: Jane Austen Centre, Bath.

jane austen festival

Every year in September, the city of Bath holds a 10-day festival paying tribute to Jane Austen and the history of Regency England. There are a range of events across the city and it is extremely popular, attracting thousands of visitors from around the world. 

If you are not able to attend in person, you can follow events from afar. To download a brochure and access the Jane Austen Festival site, click here.

st. mary the virgin church, whaddon

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Photos: St. Mary the Virgin Church, Whaddon, Wiltshire.

Approximately 12 miles to the west of Bath is the tiny hamlet of Whaddon. This was the living of Reverend Edward Cooper from January 1782 until September 1784.   

Bath extract

If you would like to read an extract from The Austens of Steventon, where the events take place in Bath, click here.