On Wednesday, November 13th, Mrs Thomason and Mrs Welby took their 1ere OIB students on trip to Jane Austen’s House and the Jane Austen’s Museum in support of their study of Sense and Sensibility.

They saw Jane Austen’s writing desk where she wrote her novels, dressed in Regency clothes, and learned what a ‘Ha Ha’ is! (An invisible fence to keep cows in fields so the view isn’t spoiled).

• "Going to see Jane Austen's house and her brother Edwards' in Chawton was a terrific experience not only because it offered a break from the usual studying at a desk but also because it let students apply their knowledge and opinions on Jane Austen and her work to objects and houses of the period. It was well organised and all round great fun!"
  - Ethan
  
  
• "Not only were we able to gain valuable insight into Austen’s background, personal life and auto-biographical points and sources of inspiration, we learned so much about the period in which she lived and the history of the implicit omnipresent themes explored in her novels. My classmates and I really enjoyed ourselves and are very grateful we we were able to partake in this fun and pedagogic experience."
  - Alexandra
  
  
• "The trip to Chawton was very valuable to our study of Sense and Sensibility in providing us with necessary background information on Jane Austen and her family, helping us in the process to draw parallels between her life experience and the characters' development throughout the novel. It was a very relaxed journey across two houses that played a big role in her life, and we all learned many fascinating facts on the author.
  - Alec
  
  
• "Seeing Jane Austen's house, the clothes she wore, the view from her bedroom window and the writing desk she wrote on, really places you in Regency England and opens a portal into what life was like 200 years ago. I think everyone felt they time-travelled a little bit on the day! And of course, understanding the social context in which Austen wrote is a really important examination skill."
  - Mrs Thomason