Jane Austen Centre

The Jane Austen Centre stands in a Georgian terrace at 40 Gay Street, Bath, a city Austen knew well. The terrace forms part of a Grade II listed block that English Heritage recognises for its historic value. The centre tells how Bath shaped her life and fiction during the years she lived here. It also hosts the annual Jane Austen Festival, the world’s largest and longest-running event of its kind. The festival features a costumed promenade through Bath’s streets and a grand Summer Ball. Visitors can still take tea in Regency-style rooms on the premises. A life-size wax figure of Austen draws many guests to the exhibition. Experts once relied on a small watercolour by her sister Cassandra, but they judged it a poor likeness. In 2002 the centre’s director asked forensic artist Melissa Dring to create a new portrait from eye-witness accounts. Sculptor Mark Richards then turned that portrait into a three-dimensional figure over three years. The result stands 5 ft 8 in tall, matching descriptions of Austen as tall and slender. Hair artist Nell Clarke and costume designer Andrea Galer dressed the figure in period clothing. Inside, the waxwork occupies a dedicated space designed to feel like a drawing room of Austen’s time. The centre’s rooms display letters, prints and objects linked to her visits and stays in Bath. Outside, Gay Street leads past other Georgian houses towards The Circus and Queen Square. The walk itself offers views of Bath’s honey-coloured stone terraces and quiet crescents.