City to Country Relocation Agents

Jane Austen: Another good reason why you should relocate to Bath

Thursday, June 15, 2017

If you are thinking of relocating to Bath or the surrounding areas then there are a multitude of reasons why you should. It is full of surprises that make it one of the top destinations in the country to consider moving to: not only does it have outstanding transport links and communications, as well as first class schools in the public and private sector, a huge amount of events worth attending through the year as well as excellent sporting talents to be show cased… it also has a wealth of tucked away museums and other interesting places to visit including Jane Austen’s spiritual home.

Jane Austin 2017: 200 years since her death

2017 is a milestone and actually marks 200 years since her death. Because of this Bath is hosting a series of events that should prove to be incredibly popular and well attended by fans here in the UK and many who will travel over specifically for it from abroad. Jane herself knew Bath as a thriving spa resort, popular with fashionable society and that is still true today of the many visitors and residents who live in and around the city.

Jane Austin Festival 2017

The annual Jane Austen Festival takes place in September and begins with the spectacular Grand Regency Costumed Promenade – quite possibly the key, showcase event. After drinks there is the hugely popular Regency Dancing with an expert caller who talks the party goers through the dances as they happen. You can then partake in Regency card games that are authentic to the era and which were a typical form of entertainment for so many in Jane’s day. Dinner is always stupendous and is served authentically with the menu being based on the original Regency recipes so you can get a real taste for the flavours of Jane’s time. But beware, the event has a strict Regency costume dress code to ensure everyone gets properly involved.

This occasion aside the other Jane Austen events include walks, talks, book readings, minibus tours and day trips, musical recitals and concerts, workshops on playing the harp, bonnet making and even archery. There is something for everyone.

Jane Austin Centre 2017

Bath is also lucky to have its very own Jane Austen Centre, which is dedicated to celebrating the city’s most famous resident. The centre offers a snapshot of what it would be like to live in the Regency times – the fashion, food, society – everything that would have inspired Austen’s timeless novels. It also explores how Bath impacted upon her life and writing in Jane set two of her six published novels, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion, in Bath and made the city her home from 1801 to 1806. In Northanger Abbey Jane writes; ‘They arrived in Bath. Catherine was all eager delight; – her eyes were here, there, everywhere, as they approached its fine and striking environs, and afterwards drove through those streets which conducted them to the hotel. She was come to be happy, and she felt happy already’.

The centre is set in a classically decorated Georgian town house where the Austen experience begins with a welcome talk which then allows you to wander around the exhibition at your own pace. And if that isn’t enough you can get into the Jane Austen spirit and feel as if you really are in Pride and Prejudice by dressing up in any number of the exhibition’s Regency costumes including bonnets, top hats, shawls, fans and dresses. There are lots of opportunities for fun photos with the Centre providing a great backdrop.

Where can you find an authentic English tea in Bath?

Nor does it stop there. The city’s Regency themed Tea Rooms offer an authentic English tea experience in the heart of the Georgian city with excellent rooftop views over the World Heritage City of Bath. In addition the centre also has a waxwork which, for the first time in history, creates a lifelike portrayal of what Jane Austen would have looked like. It took three years to create based on eye-witness descriptions and a sketch by Austen’s sister Cassandra. This new addition to the centre means visitors can get up close to the women herself for the first time in centuries!

So, if you want to relocate to Bath there is so much more to do than the obvious things such as shopping or watching Bath Rugby team play at home to sell-out crowds. Why not start by coming along to a Jane Austen event to see for yourself?