My day to explore Jane Austen’s Hampshire!
I got up early and worked most of the day on the video project for Rome, completing it around 2pm. The internet was so bad that I was unable to upload it so that it could be previewed. After getting the go-ahead to send it the next day, I proceeded to drive down to the Jane Austen House Museum in Chawton (about 40 minutes away).
I knew it was going to be tight but when I arrived I realized it was 2 minutes after they closed at 4:30pm. That was ok. I could see the area, the outside of the house, and perhaps get a bite to eat (since I’d been working all morning and had yet to eat anything). I went across to the pub and they didn’t begin serving food until 6pm. I went next door to the tea house and they stopped serving at 4pm (it’s a small village).
At this point I was exhausted, hungry, and disappointed that my many plans weren’t quite working out. I went back to the car park, got in the car, and tears began to flow down my cheeks. I was trying to decide where to go next and put the address for the Winchester Cathedral in my GPS.
I’d not yet left the village when I turned too early on the roundabout and ended on a quiet street. Accidentally I had stumbled upon Chawton House, Jane Austen’s brother’s house which has also opened their library. I got out of the car to take a breath and, as I looked at the grounds and property down the lane I felt like God spoke to my heart, saying “let go of your plans.” I think it’s significant that it wasn’t “abandon your plans” or “cancel your plans” but “let go”.
I decided that I was just going to go to the next place, take the next step, and then choose where to go rather than have my list of things to do and places to be (there’s a deeper meaning to this in my life which I will continue to ponder throughout the trip).
A peace returned to me as I chose to let go!
Finally leaving Chawton, I made my way to Winchester, hoping to go to the Cathedral but aware now that everything closes at 4:30 or 5pm. Upon arriving, I was proud of myself as I successfully parallel parked (it takes some getting used to the steering wheel on the right side).
I arrived to find the Cathedral doors open. As I entered the Cathedral it was clear that the tours had ceased but there were evening prayers being song in the “quire”. This allowed me to walk around and I came across the display for Jane Austen (see more photos from this day on the Jane Austen 200 post). During the last few months of her illness, Jane and her sister Cassandra moved to Winchester for Jane’s treatments. She eventually died there and was buried in the Cathedral. They had a lovely display of the types of things I might have seen at The Jane Austen House Museum. Isn’t God good? He provided what I had missed in an unexpected place.
I sat for awhile as the “quire” sang Ubi Caritas and then left. I remembered I’d still not eaten yet so I picked up some takeaway – sandwich, cookie, smoothie – and left Winchester for the Netley Abbey, some ruins not far away.
The Abbey grounds were closed as well but as I was leaving town, I stopped in a pub, had a lovely discussion with a lady who worked there, and took her recommendation to visit the Royal Victoria Country Park (just down the road from the pub). I even got see a bit of a cricket match, all before driving back to my lodging.
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