The Jane Austen Centre

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Sheryl Yu

I had so much fun in this little adorable museum. I didn't do any further research about this place before I visited (I only know there is a Jane Austen museum in Bath). That's why I was shocked and impressed when I first saw all their staff dressed beautifully in those special costumes, which made them unreal to me. They are all very welcoming, friendly and charming! There was a lot to experience in the museum, the Austen family history, stuff from or regarding her literature & movies, a short video about Jane which made me emotional, because I noticed that a lot of the background music was from the movie "Becoming Jane" starred by Anne Hathaway and James Mcavoy (one of my favorite movie back in school time). Please stop here and spend sometime for the video clip - it's so lovely. They also offer costumes so you can dress up and take photos (i love that). Do talk to those lovely staff if possible, they shared a lot of stories behind those photos!!

Rik

Honestly don't know what I was expecting. Firstly what is great. The centre is in an old Georgian townhouse on one of the streets Jane Austen used to live on. However Jane Austen never lived at this number.and there is no pretence she did which is good. Clearly it's setup do different actors playing different Austen characters guide you round the site and they provide really fun and informative introductions to things and form the backbone of an enjoyable video. There is quite a lot on display given the fact this is done mostly on one floor, a teashop being upstairs. The exhibition has done interesting and well thought out displays. The timeline is interesting and their are done good interactive elements like quill writing, dress up in period costume and games. These would have been good but sadly all of them were monopolised by the same 2 groups and it was not possible to do any of them myself. I think it would be helpful if perhaps staff monitored these spaces so people could actually use them. The bigger issue is the what am I paying for. The display is just that, it is not a museum There is nothing or historical interest in relation to Austen. It's all information curated and copied from elsewhere. This is fine but at 40 GBP for 4 people this is steep. If you s real Austen fan then this is perhaps worthwhile but I only have a casual interest and frankly I was hoping to see things from her life and times even if Austen had not handled them herself. This (not total) lack of history was really the issue for me, and the relatively small space. Overall I guess if Jane Austen is why you are going to bath then call in.

Isabel

The Jane Austen Centre was a cute stop during my visit to Bath. The staff were dressed in full Regency attire, which added a fun and immersive touch. My favorite part was the family history introduction—the guide was lively and engaging, which really brought Jane’s world to life. That said, the museum itself felt a bit dated and might not offer a ton for casual fans. If you're a die-hard Austen enthusiast, it’s definitely worth a visit. But if your interest is more general, the ticket price might feel a bit steep for what you get.

Karen S

This is a lovely place to visit. The guides are in character and tell you all about Jane Austen and her family. There is an opportunity to dress up in a regency outfit, which of course I had to try. You can also try writing with a quill and ink. The gift shop at the end has some beautiful editions of Jane's Austen's books and some lovely other items both large and small.