Jane Austen Slept Here. Really.
Alert Janeite Patrice was in Bath recently and heard a rumor that 4 Sydney Place, the house in which Jane Austen lived the longest in Bath, was for sale. A bit of investigation showed that two flats are (or once were) available for sale.
The third-floor flat is probably where the servants slept; it’s the top floor with the dormer windows, and seems surprisingly airy for all that.
The second-floor flat is the humdinger: not only is it quite beautifully appointed (we love the kitchen), but check this out from the description:
The great novelist Jane Austen (1775 – 1817) stayed at various houses in Bath, but longest at 4 Sydney Place, to which her family moved when her father retired from his Hampshire parish.
This fine second floor apartment has some retained period features and gas fired central heating. The bedroom was believed to have been used by Jane Austen and her sister.
DOROTHY! Start checking the sofa cushions for spare change again!!! Oh, how we would love to use this for our Bath pied-a-terre!
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At the 2002 AGM in Toronto, the director of the Holbourne Museum, which lies across the street from 4 Sydney Place, talked about acquiring the apartments should they ever go on sale.
“I rather wished than believed him to be sincere.”
The museum would be the perfect caretakers of the property. Alas, the Holbourne museum is undergoing major renovations and probably doesn’t have the cash to purchase them.
Mags, your sofa cushions better be hiding a whole heck of a lot of spare change. At today’s rate, that Jane bedroom is going to cost you $464,500.77— a bargain, to be sure, for a true Janeite!
Holy moly what a price! I’ve passed the place many times and it’s no longer in the best part of town, being situated on the junction of a busy main road and all. The price is, well, amazing. Oh for a lottery win!
Actually, that seems in line for what I’ve seen of Bath real estate. (Yes, I’ve window shopped the estate agents…) And it seems like a good location at least for having a nice flat walk into town. And it’s close to the rugby. That probably has advantages and disadvantages.
I think that winning the lottery is becoming more and more the only option. It would be a nice place to put the Emma first edition that will be in auction in 3 weeks