Breakfast at the Wagon Works where the regulars were already having their pints of beer at 9 in the morning.
On the way north, I ran across another interesting place name--Itchen Abbas. I must get a book on the origins of these names.
Chawton in Alton is known as Jane Austen's literary home. It was here that the author wrote and revised many of her novels, including "Pride & Prejudice". It houses many of Jane's items and those of her family including the table where she used to write her novels. The door to this room creaked and she didn't want to fix the creak as that way she could hear if anyone was coming near and she could secret away her writings. I loved reading this as I am just as secretive about my own writings.
Jane, her mother, her sister (Cassandra) and Martha Lloyd moved to this house, the former bailiff's house on the Chawton Estate, in 1809. She lived here until 1817. Upstairs is her bedroom with the patchwork quilt that she made with her mother and sister using pieces from old dresses. Many letters that she wrote were on display. Jane led a quieter life here and resumed her novel-writing. She revised both "Sense & Sensibility" (published in 1811 and she made 140 pounds) and "Pride & Prejudice" (published in 1813 and was an instant success). She published all of the novels appearing during her lifetime anonymously, only bearing the words "By a Lady." This was the way it was done then. "Mansfield Park" was published in 1814 and "Emma" in 1815. She finished "Persuasion" in 1816, but it and "Northanger Abbey" were not published until after her death.
Jane and her sister went for walks into Alton every day and went shopping. Since her father was the Rector of the Steventon Church, and while living in Steventon she had easy access to the parish registers. On the wall of the house at Chawton was evidence of her mischieviousness--she had entered marriages of some of her characters into the marriage records.
I enjoyed walking through the house and could imagine her sitting in the front room, looking out to the street and daydreaming her stories before she put them down on paper. The house was quiet and easy to wander around in until a huge tour group arrived and seemed to take over everything. But I was just about done anyway.
Then it was on to the Maritime Museum in Southampton. The only trouble here was finding parking, but we finally found a place in the Ikea car park and walked down along the Southampton Walls. Here we saw the monument to the Mayflower that left from a quay very near here. The Pilgrim Fathers actually left Southampton to go to America in 1620, in the Mayflower and Speedwell; however, due to the Speedwell's poor condition, it was abandoned at Plymouth, and the Mayflower travelled to America alone. I took a picture of an old gateway with its steps and later found out that this is where Shakespeare used to visit Bugle Hall, the Earl of Southampton's Town House, which burned down in 1791.
On the way north, I ran across another interesting place name--Itchen Abbas. I must get a book on the origins of these names.
Chawton in Alton is known as Jane Austen's literary home. It was here that the author wrote and revised many of her novels, including "Pride & Prejudice". It houses many of Jane's items and those of her family including the table where she used to write her novels. The door to this room creaked and she didn't want to fix the creak as that way she could hear if anyone was coming near and she could secret away her writings. I loved reading this as I am just as secretive about my own writings.
Jane, her mother, her sister (Cassandra) and Martha Lloyd moved to this house, the former bailiff's house on the Chawton Estate, in 1809. She lived here until 1817. Upstairs is her bedroom with the patchwork quilt that she made with her mother and sister using pieces from old dresses. Many letters that she wrote were on display. Jane led a quieter life here and resumed her novel-writing. She revised both "Sense & Sensibility" (published in 1811 and she made 140 pounds) and "Pride & Prejudice" (published in 1813 and was an instant success). She published all of the novels appearing during her lifetime anonymously, only bearing the words "By a Lady." This was the way it was done then. "Mansfield Park" was published in 1814 and "Emma" in 1815. She finished "Persuasion" in 1816, but it and "Northanger Abbey" were not published until after her death.
Jane and her sister went for walks into Alton every day and went shopping. Since her father was the Rector of the Steventon Church, and while living in Steventon she had easy access to the parish registers. On the wall of the house at Chawton was evidence of her mischieviousness--she had entered marriages of some of her characters into the marriage records.
I enjoyed walking through the house and could imagine her sitting in the front room, looking out to the street and daydreaming her stories before she put them down on paper. The house was quiet and easy to wander around in until a huge tour group arrived and seemed to take over everything. But I was just about done anyway.
Then it was on to the Maritime Museum in Southampton. The only trouble here was finding parking, but we finally found a place in the Ikea car park and walked down along the Southampton Walls. Here we saw the monument to the Mayflower that left from a quay very near here. The Pilgrim Fathers actually left Southampton to go to America in 1620, in the Mayflower and Speedwell; however, due to the Speedwell's poor condition, it was abandoned at Plymouth, and the Mayflower travelled to America alone. I took a picture of an old gateway with its steps and later found out that this is where Shakespeare used to visit Bugle Hall, the Earl of Southampton's Town House, which burned down in 1791.
Then it was on to the museum that had at times been a storehouse for wool for Cistercian monks, a spice store, and a prison. Right now it was a museum that had a Titanic Exhibition. The Titanic left Southampton from Dock 4, Berth 44, very near to where we stood right then. I love all things Titanic so this was great. They had menus and dinner services and ship plans and photos. Lots of personal items from some of the survivors and those who perished in the sinking. And a story I had never heard before. Actually two stories. Number 1: The Titanic didn't have a clock at the top of the stairs. The large carved piece that was on the Titanic was displayed here and showed that it had a mirror instead of a clock in the center. The clock was to be added after its maiden voyage.
Number 2: It turns out that the staff to go on the Titanic was changed at the last minute, resulting in the person who had the keys to the binocular case not going aboard and Lightoller being demoted to second officer instead of first. Anyway, the conjecture here in the display was that MAYBE the officer who didn't go aboard forgot to give the keys to Lightoller and this contributed to the disaster. Who knows....
I enjoyed reading the personal accounts of some of the voyagers but it was very sad to contemplate.
We went to Ikea for lunch where I had a bit of lots of things. Everything looked so delicious. Gravad Lax, they called it (smoked salmon), instead of what I am used to GravLax. And a croissant. And fish and chips and peas. And a Coke. Yum.
Number 2: It turns out that the staff to go on the Titanic was changed at the last minute, resulting in the person who had the keys to the binocular case not going aboard and Lightoller being demoted to second officer instead of first. Anyway, the conjecture here in the display was that MAYBE the officer who didn't go aboard forgot to give the keys to Lightoller and this contributed to the disaster. Who knows....
I enjoyed reading the personal accounts of some of the voyagers but it was very sad to contemplate.
We went to Ikea for lunch where I had a bit of lots of things. Everything looked so delicious. Gravad Lax, they called it (smoked salmon), instead of what I am used to GravLax. And a croissant. And fish and chips and peas. And a Coke. Yum.
Had delicious dinner at The Harvester Pub & Grill next to the hotel.
***pictures from top: Jane Austen's writing desk; Jane's house at Chawton; Titanic piece from top of its stairs but missing the mirror or the clock.
