Jane Austen 250 in Reading

In 2025, come and join the celebrations in Reading marking the 250th anniversary since the birth of Jane Austen, the treasured nineteenth century writer famed for Pride & Prejudice, Emma and Persuasion.

From April 2025, as part of the 250^th anniversary celebrations of Jane Austen’s birth, her former school room in Reading’s Abbey Quarter, often cited as the inspiration for Austen’s Mrs Goddard’s School in Emma, will open for a series of special events and tours. 

Reading Museum will be putting on a series of events, tours and visits to the Abbey Gateway and Reading Abbey Quarter to tell the story of Jane’s time at school here as part of Reading’s Jane Austen 250 celebrations. Reading's programme also includes visits to the film location for Pride and Prejudice - the National Trust’s Basildon Park and a theatrical world premiere of Death Comes to Pemberley at The Mill at Sonning, based on a PD James novel, as well as guided walks, tours and talks.

Pictured above - Pride and Prejudice filmed at Basildon Park (Alex Bailey Universal Pictures 2005)

Find out more about Jane Austen’s time in Reading or try a Jane Austen Afternoon Tea at the 5-star Roseate Reading Hotel, located next door to Jane Austen’s schoolroom throughout May and June 2025. The Roseate will also be offering a special Jane Austen rate for a visit to its two Jane Austen-linked hotels in Bath and Reading. This September, you can even have a read of an original letter by Austen and take part in workshops and an Austen-themed trail at the MERL.