jane austen's burial place

No. 8 College Street

where jane austen died

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Jane Austen arrived here on Saturday 24th May, 1817 with her sister, Cassandra. They occupied a suite of rooms on the first floor, owned by the landlady, Mrs David.

The rental of the rooms had been arranged by their friend, Catherine Heathcote (née Bigg) who lived in the city and Jane was here to find a cure for her debilitating illness. 

The apothecary who treated her in Chawton had run out of options and so she was recommended to be placed under the care of Dr. Giles Lyford, who was a surgeon at the modern Winchester Hospital.

Initially, the results were promising and everyone was optimistic. Even when Dr Lyford told her family that there was nothing mre he could do for his patient, Jane continued to rally and her sister and brothers remained hopeful.

Sadly, the doctor had been right all along, and Jane Austen died in the early hours of the morning on Friday 18th July, 1817. Cassandra and James Austen's wife, Mary, were with her. 

For a comprehensive description of the house, accompanied by some pencil drawings, D. Dean Cantrell visited when it was open to the public in 2025 and documented her findings. She wrote an article entitled A Visit to Jane Austen's Last Home for the Jane Austen Society of North America's Persuasions magazine, and you can access it here.

winchester cathedral

where jane austen is buried

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Jane Austen was buried in Winchester Cathedral early in the morning of Thursday, 24th July, 1817.

Her grave is clearly marked in the north aisle, attracting thousands of visitors every year.

A bronze plaque stands nearby, dedicated to her by her nephew, James Edward Austen Leigh.

Above them both is a stained-glass window designed in her memory.

To learn more about the stories behind these monuments, Brenda S. Cox details them in a blog post for Jane Austen's World entitled Winchester Cathedral: Jane Austen's Resting Place. Read it here.

There is also a small basket close to the grave for people to leave their own small tributes to Jane Austen.

cathedral close

the site of the jane austen statue

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When Jane Austen was taken to her burial in Winchester Cathedral, she would have passed through Cathedral Close.

To mark the 250th anniversary celebrations of Jane Austen's birth, a sculpture of her was unveiled on the green.

It was sculpted by Martin Jennings, and you can read the details on the Public Statues and Sculptures Association website here.

Following the unveiling, there was a service for Jane Austen inside the cathedral. You can watch it on YouTube here.

In 2025, Jane Austen's Winchester Trail was created, with a self-guided map to take you to all the important sites in the city as Jane Austen would have known them. For more details and to download the map, you can access the Visit Winchester website here.

Extract

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