‘a space’ arts and Southampton Forward secure nationally significant loan of Jane Austen’s travelling writing desk
Jane Austen’s travelling writing desk is going on display in Southampton for the first time since she lived in the city over 200 years ago, providing literary and history fans the chance to see up-close what she used to pen early drafts of now internationally famous novels.
From November 2024 until February 2025, the famous novelist’s travelling writing desk will be displayed in God’s House Tower, just a stone’s throw from where she lived during her time in Southampton. This marks the start of a city-wide programme of activities and events celebrating the writer’s 250th birthday in 2025, including opportunities for local communities to get involved through workshops, creative commissions and activities.
Given to Jane Austen by her father in December 1794, the portable writing desk opens to provide a slope on which to write, and has various compartments, including a lockable drawer for paper and valuables.
‘a space’ arts has worked with Southampton Forward to secure the desk on loan from the British Library, supported by funding from Art Fund, the national charity for art. This is the first time the writing desk will be returning to Southampton since the famous author lived in the city between 1806 and 1809.



One of the most famous British authors, Jane Austen’s strong connections to the south of England – Hampshire and Bath in particular – have been well publicised, but the writer’s links with Southampton are lesser known. Austen was sent to school in Southampton when she was 7 years old and visited several more times before living in the city in her early 30s.
‘a space’ arts manage God’s House Tower, the award-winning flagship arts and heritage venue located in Southampton’s historic Old Town. Through capital investment, an ambitious programme of exhibitions and artist commissions, ‘a space’ have re-animated the 13th century heritage building with support from Southampton City Council, National Lottery Heritage Fund and Arts Council England. Their partnership with Southampton Forward on this project means that God’s House Tower has gained national loan accreditation status, supported by Southampton City Council’s Culture team, opening up future opportunities to borrow important works from national collections.
Dan Crow, Director of ‘a space’ arts, said: “We are thrilled to host the travelling writing desk and look forward to producing an exhibition that will launch a city-wide programme of events and activities to mark Jane’s 250th birthday. This is a fantastic opportunity for ‘a space’, our team and award-winning venue GHT, to expand our knowledge, reach new audiences and gain international exposure”.
a space’ is working closely with Southampton Forward on this project, an independent charity that works in partnership across the city to enhance the cultural and economic impact of Southampton.
Claire Whitaker, CBE, CEO of Southampton Forward, said: “This is a great opportunity for the city. The return of Jane Austen’s desk to Southampton marks the first in a series of events which celebrate ‘Jane Austen 250’, which is part of a regional programme. These events will celebrate Jane Austen’s deep ties to Southampton, invite different perspectives of her life and literary works and explore her writing through a contemporary lens”.
From November the desk will be exhibited in the Collections Gallery, with a contemporary artist commissioned to fill GHT’s main gallery from January 2025. A participatory women’s creative writing programme will offer routes to explore Austen’s life through the lens of her writing, the desk, and her time in Southampton.
Alexandra Ault, Lead Curator of Modern Archives and Manuscripts at the British Library, said: “We are thrilled to be sharing one of the treasures from the national collection with the city of Southampton. Jane Austen lived in Southampton for a number of years and we are excited for more people to see the travelling writing desk on which the author drafted many of her famous novels.”
The national loan accreditation for God’s House Tower comes after Arts Council England (ACE) awarded Southampton’s City Art Gallery £2.23m as part of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s Museum Estates and Development Fund and ACE’s £1.5m investment in Southampton Forward.
Councillor Lorna Fielker, Leader of Southampton City Council said:
“It is fantastic that we can highlight a nationally important female author with strong connections to Southampton and the region through the partnership of Southampton City Council, Southampton Forward, ‘a space arts’ and the Art Fund. This is an important step in developing our cultural tourism offer to attract regional, national and international visitors, by leveraging investment to grow the cultural experience alongside Southampton City Art Gallery, SeaCity Museum, Tudor House, Solent Sky Museum, John Hansard Gallery and many others to deliver economic growth and prosperity.”
Jane Austen had strong connections to Southampton. Visiting several times, she also spent a few years living in the city between 1806 and 1809. Next year marks Jane Austen’s 250th birthday (16th December 2025), and the exhibition at God’s House Tower from November 2024 will mark the start of a dedicated programme of events and activities that will run throughout 2025.
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