Jane Austen Village

During Jane’s time, Overton was an active village with a direct travel route to London and the Austen family had several connections with it. They went to Overton for mail, shopping, and socializing. 250 years later, Overton continues to operate as the nearest larger village to Steventon and maintains a connection to Jane’s life.

The White Hart Inn is as prominent today as it was back then in Jane’s lifetime. Located on London Road, the White Hart Inn was built over five centuries ago. The picture I took marked “1451” as the year of the structure. The White Hart was a coaching inn for mail and travel coaches during Jane’s life.

Due to Overton’s direct connection to London, the White Hart’s mail coaches had a particular significance for residents of neighboring villages such as Steventon who came to the White Hart Inn for mail. Over time, the White Hart Inn has been beautifully restored and in July 2025, when we visited, it was a busy and popular pub. The former stables were converted into guest accommodations.

The main street, or downtown Overton, is the intersection of London Road and Winchester Street. Even today it has all the seeming necessities of village life: a public library and community centre, chemist (pharmacy), post office, grocery store, pubs, coffee shops, takeouts. The Overton library and community centre were just across the White Hart and bustling with people. There were a few other pubs and restaurants. We had lunch at a cafe called Honesty Overton that we really enjoyed. The ambience and food at the Cafe were a contrast to the images that my mind was replaying between 1775 to 1801 when Jane was visiting Overton. On the way back, I picked up snacks for the road from the co-op next door.

The Austen family had anther connection with Overton. In 1790, Jane’s older brother, James Austen, was a curate at St. Mary’s Church in Overton. The spire of the Church is visible as one drives through Overton’s main street. This year, to mark Jane’s 250th birth year, the Church offered a Jane Austen Evening Service on December 7th.

In 2025, several businesses in Overton were marking the year in recognition of Jane Austen. Most prominent was the large information board with the Overton Jane Austen Trail outside the library. The White Hart Inn recommended its own 4-hour walking trail called the Jane Austen Walk. The library and several storefronts carried brochures of the trails and other local events dedicated to Austen’s 250th birth year anniversary.

The Overton Jane Austen Trail is a 9 mile walking trail and 12 mile bicycle trail. I did not walk it during this trip but brought home the brochure for my next trip to Jane’s countryside. For those interested, here is the official video exploring Overton during Jane’s lifetime and covering the trail. Here is the official website with suggested bike and walking routes through Jane’s countryside.

One of the most interesting discoveries during my Jane Austen pilgrimage this summer was the iconic red telephone booth that was dedicated as a museum, library and an information center for Jane Austen. It is the smallest and the most charming museum I have ever seen.

We had driven to Steventon, Jane Austen’s birthplace, that morning. Other than St. Nicholas Church I was unable to find other local spots related to Austen. The village of Steventon is very small, even by the standards of small villages. It had private homes and windy, long countryside lanes. I would have loved to walk around but my Californian family had spent enough time in rain that morning at the church.

We exited St. Nicholas Church and headed towards the adjoining village of Overton. As we were driving through a small residential street, we suddenly came upon this very charming red telephone box dedicated to Jane.

Of course, we had to immediately stop. Parking was difficult on that narrow lane and initially we pulled into what appeared to be a private path. However, it was a small entrance leading up to private homes. A resident of one of the homes was outside and encouraged us to double-park there while I rushed inside the booth. It was clearly a common occurrence for them, especially during this special year.

The books inside the booth included some Austen adaptations and felt like a free lending library. An information pamphlet recommended a walking trail through Jane Austen’s countryside. We found other similar bicycle and walking trails posted in the village of Overton. Through another pamphlet I learned that during Austen’s time Overton had the nearest post office. The Austen family regularly went to Overton for mail and to mingle with local families. Prior to this, I had been unaware of the significance of Overton as it relates to Jane.

Despite its size, the museum was decorated beautifully in celebration of Austen’s 250th birth anniversary. For anyone visiting Steventon, I highly recommend taking this detour to visit this charming library, museum, and information center devoted to Austen.

Jane Austen was born on December 16, 1775, in Steventon, Hampshire, UK. Today would have been her 250th birthday.

We drove through the country lanes and arrived at our destination, the Church of St. Nicholas. From what I understand, this was the parish church. Austen’s father, Rev. Austen, was the rector at the Steventon Rectory. The rectory and the Austen family home were demolished many years ago, and the land is now private property. The rectory and home were located at the start of the lane that eventually ends at St. Nicholas Church. I believe that Jane and her family frequently walked from her home to St. Nicholas church. If I had to guess, it would have taken me 30 to 40 minutes to walk that distance.

I was so pleasantly surprised to see that during this special year the church was recognizing the legend who lived in the village and prayed at the church at some point in history. We couldn’t go inside the church since it was closed. Across the street from the church was a beautiful manor house. They must have seen a lot of visitors this year.

Behind the church, I was able to find gravestones for James and Mary Austen. James was Jane’s oldest brother, who was the rector of the Steventon rectory after Rev. Austen retired.

Jane lived in Steventon until age 26. She moved to Bath along with Cassandra, her mother, and Rev. Austen after he retired.

As I left Steventon, my first feeling was immense joy at having seen Jane’s village that I had read about for decades. And then, it felt surreal that this non-descript village in the countryside of England has given us an author who has played such an enormous role in the lives of millions of people worldwide and continues to do so two and a half centuries later.

2025 marks the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth, making it the perfect time to start this blog and share my passion with other lovers and admirers of her work.

Throughout this year, there have been various events held in appreciation of Austen’s works. Janeites from all over the world gathered and traveled for festivals, celebrations and balls to share our common love of all things Austen. Several new movies, TV series, and books based on adaptations of Austen’s works were released this year.

The highlight of the year for me was a summer trip through Jane Austen’s English countryside. I traveled to Steventon, the village where Austen was born, the countryside towns of Overton and Alton where she spent her early years, the house in Chawton where she wrote and published her books, the city of Bath which features prominently in her books, the Winchester lodgings where she spent her last days, and Winchester Cathedral where she is buried. I was able to plan my trip using the information I obtained from blogs and websites dedicated to Jane Austen. It feels right to share my journey and add to that knowledge base for future travelers.