The Jane Austen Centre

About

The Jane Austen Centre is dedicated to celebrating Bath’s most famous resident. The Centre offers a snapshot of what it would be like to live in the Regency times - the fashion, food, society - everything that would have inspired Austen’s timeless novels.

The Centre also explores how the city of Bath impacted upon Jane Austen’s life and writing in much loved books such as Northanger Abbey and Persuasion.

The Centre is set in a classically decorated Georgian town house where your very own Austen experience will begin with a friendly welcome talk from a knowledgeable and helpful member of staff. After the introduction you’ll be free to wonder around the intriguing exhibition at your own pace. If you do need a helping hand or have any questions, there’s always an attentive staff member around.   

Get into the Jane Austen spirit and feel as if you’re really in Pride and Prejudice by dressing up in any number of the exhibition’s Regency costumes including bonnets, top hats, shawls, fans and dresses. You can impersonate Elizabeth Bennett or re-live your favourite cringe-worthy moment of Mr. Collins. There are lots of opportunities for fun photos with the Centre providing a great backdrop.

The Regency themed Tea Rooms ( previously awarded The Tea Guild's Award of Excellence) are located on the second floor of the Centre where you can enjoy a pot of real leaf tea, some homemade cake or a scrumptious savoury snack. The Tea Rooms and Centre, which you will find in the heart of the Georgian city between Queen Square and The Circus, also has excellent rooftop views over the World Heritage City of Bath.

The Centre has a waxwork which, for the first time in history, creates a lifelike portrayal of what Jane Austen would have looked like. It took three years for Melissa Dring, forensic artist, to construct the waxwork which is based on eye-witness descriptions and a sketch by Austen’s sister Cassandra. This new addition to The Jane Austen Centre means visitors can get up close to the women herself for the first time in centuries!

Before leaving, don’t forget to visit the gift shop for a souvenir of your visit. Choose from many exclusive and handmade items including cards, home ware, stationery and specially designed gifts, as well as all of Jane Austen’s novels and film adaptations.

The Centre is a must for any Jane Austen fan. Not only can you learn about the time she spent here in Bath, but also about her life as a whole and what events and people may have influenced the scenes and characters you know and love.