Celebrating 250 years of Jane Austen

Visitors in period costume dance in the Ball Room at the Jane Austen festival at Bath Assembly Rooms, Bath — Visitors at the Jane Austen festival at Bath Assembly Rooms, Bath | © National Trust Images/Anna Kilcooley

Jane Austen has danced under the chandeliers that light the Assembly Rooms and with our partners we're joining in the 250th celebrations.

Jane and the Assembly Rooms

Bath Assembly Rooms was one of Jane Austen’s favourite places in the city. Having loved attending grand balls there during her early visits to Bath, when she moved to the city permanently in 1801 the date of the next ball was one of the first things on her mind. Though she had arrived in Bath at the end of the social season (“there is to be only one more ball!” she wrote in horror to her sister upon arrival), fortunately, she was able to make up for lost time. Austen would live in Bath for the next five years and attended balls at Bath Assembly Rooms both regularly and enthusiastically.

There is to be a grand gala on Tuesday, and we are to have a dance that I shall enjoy exceedingly.

A quote by Jane Austen

Dancing was not just a pastime for Austen—it was a vital social ritual and one that features prominently in her novels. Bath Assembly Rooms in particular, celebrated throughout the country and designed for their thriving programme of balls, concerts, and card evenings, appear in both of Austen’s Bath novels (Northanger Abbey and Persuasion). Though busy and always full of people, the Assembly Rooms could always be relied on to facilitate snatched, private moments of surprising intimacy – in both fiction and in real life.

Though a keen attender of balls and other social events, Austen would also have known the inner workings of Bath Assembly Rooms thanks to her family connections. Her uncle, James Leigh Perrot, was on the management committee of the Rooms, giving her behind-the-scenes insights into the complex politics that governed Bath's social scene. As her characters living in Bath discover, these unwritten codes and etiquette could be hard to negotiate – though all of her heroines ultimately gain their happy ending.

Bath Assembly Rooms were not just part of Austen’s daily life—they were woven into the emotional and narrative structure of her fiction. In her hands, the building became far more than just an elegant venue: it was a space of self-discovery, of navigating social hierarchies, and of capturing the exhilaration, hope, and anxiety of being young and on display in Georgian society.

A picture of a portrait of Jane Austen found in the front of one of her novels. — A portrait of Jane Austen from a novel | © National Trust/Ruth Newell

Jane Austen Festival events

Although Bath Assembly Rooms is currently closed, you'll be able to participate in a range of events that we've organised with our partners as part of the Jane Austen Festival. Marking 250-years since the birth of Jane Austen we've a line-up of events from talks about Jane, to Austen themed picnics in a setting that has similarities to many a movie scene. Take a look to see where you can find us this September.

Take a turn around Prior Park, Mon 15 - Sun 21 Sep, 10am to 4pm daily: It’s most refreshing. Visit a picturesque 18th century garden with its winding paths, hidden features and views over Bath. Borrow a Regency prop or two to capture the best photograph on the Palladian bridge in one of the city’s most iconic sites. Admission is free for National Trust members, but if you're here for the festival, simply wear a Regency outfit and you'll receive 15% off admission. There is no parking on site, except limited pre-bookable accessible parking.Find out more about Prior Park
Guided garden walks at Prior Park, Thu 18 Sep at 11am or Sat 20 Sep at 2pm: Follow in the footsteps of the real Mr and Mrs Allen and explore Georgian garden features straight out of a Jane Austen novel. If you've ever wondered what Lady Catherine de Burgh means by a "pretty sort of wilderness", this is the walk for you. This walk is free (admission applies) but space is limited so you'll need to book a space.Book a walk ticket
Cream tea picnic at Prior Park, Sat 20 Sep, 2pm to 4pm: Complete your exploration of Prior Park with a cream tea picnic by the iconic Palladian bridge. Don't forget to wear your Regency clothes for a 15% discount on the garden admission price (payable on arrival). There will be picnic blankets for you to borrow and some picnic tables available, but please feel free to bring your own blanket if you have one. All cream teas must be pre-booked and collected from the Tea Cabin.Book your cream tea
Assembly and Diversity in Jane Austen’s Bath, Tue 16 Sep at 4pm: Jane Austen’s Bath was a city of spectacle, sociability, and surprising diversity. Our curator, Dr Tim Moore will explore the vibrant world of Georgian Bath and the radical inclusivity of its world-famous assemblies. From fashionable elites to cross-dressing non-conformists, and from plantation owners to abolitionists and people of colour, discover the melting pot of identity that made up Georgian Bath, and how it shaped the world that Austen knew and wrote about.Tickets available now

Chandeliers in the Ball Room lowered to floor level for cleaning with all the bulbs on.

Become a Luminary

Discover the Luminaries and how you can become a part of the history of Bath Assembly Rooms.

Discover more

Project

Future plans for Bath Assembly Rooms

Find out more about the Bath Assembly Rooms project and how we're working with partners and the local community to develop an exciting and relevant future for the Bath Assembly Rooms. We want to reveal the stories of the building and Georgian society as well as explore its role in twenty-first century Bath.