Author and Foundation Ambassador Julia B. Grantham shows the delights that await you in Hampshire.

Breakfast at the Swan Hotel in Alton during the Jane Austen Regency Week is a rather special affair. You can share a table with people from all over the world, sometimes in their Regency finery, sometimes in their casual clothes. In either case, it is fun and never dull.

One morning a young waitress approached our table and hearing a variety of accents, asks where we are all from. Upon receiving our answers – Tennessee, Washington, DC, Denmark, Sussex, and North Yorkshire, she raised her eyebrows and exclaimed: “But what do you all come to Alton for? Alton is such a boring place!”

Well, my dear readers, I beg to differ. I don’t know how Alton fares the other 50 weeks a year, but for a couple of weeks in June it is very far from boring. Very far indeed!

Here is a quick guide to Jane Austen’s Regency week to satisfy both deep heart desires and fleeting fancies.

Meet Jane Austen’s Family:

Hampshire has been hailed as Jane Austen’s country for two hundred years, but during Regency Week this connection comes alive. Only here you can meet and shake hands with Austen family descendants, the Knight Family, the great-grandchildren of Jane’s brother, Edward Austen Knight. The FOUR generations of them! They all support the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation started by Caroline Jane Knight ten years ago. Come to the picnic and be greeted by Jeremy Knight and his wife Carol; get a big hug from their daughter Caroline, our Founder, all the way from Australia. Be teased by her brother, Paul Knight, whose dry humour is at times reminiscent of such of his famous great aunt’s, and share a laugh with his daughter, Millie, while admiring the tiny Regency gown of the youngest of the Knights, Priseis. You’ll feel like a good friend and a welcome guest in their warm company.

Meet Your Favorite Authors:

For all the bookworms out there – this is a wonderful place to meet your favourite Historical Regency authors and get their autographs on the latest books. Featured at the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation stall during the Regency Market, or at the Regency Picnic, look out for Foundation Ambassadors Helena Kelly, author of Jane Austen, The Secret Radical; Zoe Wheddon, author of Jane Austen Daddy's Girl, the life and Influence of the Revd George Austen; Cass Grafton, author of The Particular Charm of Miss Jane Austen, Julia B. Grantham author of Mr Darcy’s Guide to Pemberley and many others who come to celebrate their love of Jane Austen. Or meet the latest winners of The Jane Austen Literacy Foundation’s yearly Writing Competition. Catch them early before they become best-selling authors!

Spot a Famous Person:

Many very famous people have become Jane Austen Literacy Foundation Ambassadors over the years. This is why at the Foundation’s Regency Picnic you can have a chance to have your picture taken not with one – but TWO Jane Bennets – a mother and a daughter, Polly Adams and Susannah Harker. Simon Langton, the director of BBC’s Pride and Prejudice (1995) has graced us with his company. An internationally acclaimed writer/comedian Alison Larkin, also known as a novelist, actress, and a prolific audiobook narrator, is a frequent guest of Regency Week.  Alison narrates the winning stories in the Foundation’s Writing Competition. Who will the next year bring? You’ll have to come and see.

Wear Regency Clothing:

For lovers of Regency attire, the question is Bath or Hampshire? My friend Cass Grafton noticed an interesting parallel between these two festivals with Jane Austen times. They are as different now as Bath and Hampshire were in Jane’s days. Need I say more? The costume scene in Alton and Chawton is very much there, but more relaxed and laid-back than in Bath. Although we have some splendid examples of the brand-new hand-crafted outfits, many people are happy to use the old costumes, slightly altering them, repairing the odd glove, or upgrading the bonnet with a new feather. It is all about sustainability and re-use! Foundation Ambassador Hazel Mills, author of Serendipity Green, is proud to make stunning dresses and reticules from recycled materials, and they look better than new, because they’re unique! Be assured your efforts will always be noticed and complimented a lot!

Are You Fond of Dancing?

You are in luck! The Jane Austen Regency Ball takes place at the Assembly Room on the first Saturday of the festival. Who can say no to that?!

The dances are led by the very friendly Hampshire Regency Dancers. They are kind and patient even with those of us with two left feet. Dancing at the Assembly room is one of the greatest pleasures of the week.

Fancy Something a Little Different?

Alton and its vicinities are full of hidden treasures and not all of them are about Jane Austen. Just a short walk from the town centre you can visit a local cemetery, the burial place of the ill-fortuned Fanny Adams. Yes, the poor Sweet Fanny Adams, and learn about her tragic story. For many years now people have been leaving toys and flowers on her grave, remembering her short life.

A few minutes’ drive will bring you to Gilbert White's House & Gardens. Regarded as the “Father of Ecology”, White’s book The Natural History of Selborne is the fourth most published book in the English language.

Need I Say More?

If I add that the newly opened The Spice Bank Indian Restaurant had the best curry we’ve had for ages and that Alton is full of cafes serving excellent breakfasts, lunches and coffees, I know you’ll have no excuses not to come to Jane Austen Regency Week next year! Let’s come together for our Jane’s 250th anniversary and chat around the breakfast table in even more different accents than before!

© Julia B Grantham 2024.

Julia B Grantham is a medical doctor and a training consultant, but books are her passion. Julia is the author of Mr Darcy’s Guide to Pemberley, A Mole Like No Other and Moley and The Mysterious Sea Turtles. Julia is a Harry Potter fanatic, an Ambassador for the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation and has volunteered with the Foundation for almost a decade. Julia lives in the South of England with her husband, son, two cats, Moley, Owlie and all the other toys that make their appearance in her children’s books.

Every day this September

Join us for our 30 Day Literacy Challenge. This year’s theme is television and film period dramas.

• See our daily posts on Facebook and Instagram for details of each challenge

• Put your answers in the comments to our posts, and/or do your own posts, including #LitMonth2024

Friends of the Foundation

Become part of our virtual monthly book club and connect with fellow book lovers around the world!

Our September read is "The Letter Tree"—an enchanting epistolary historical novel set in New York in 1924. Dive into the magic of letters and the charm of the roaring twenties with us!

Ready to get started? Join today and let’s explore these captivating pages together!

Enjoy exclusive access to a narration of one of Jane Austen's personal letters each month.

Exclusive for the Friends of the Foundation, by award-winning audiobook narrators, including best selling Austen narrator Alison Larkin, and beloved Jane Austen fan fiction narrator Harry Frost.

Don't miss out on this unique opportunity to hear Jane Austen's words, delivered with the elegance and charm they deserve.