Jane Austen (16^th December 1775 to 18^th July 1817)

In April 2013 I visited Bath. Though there isn’t a plaque I visited Bath’s most famous resident Jane Austen. She lived here at 25, Gay Street (now Gay Street Dental Practice.)

When her father died in 1805 he left the family finances threadbare. Jane and her sister Cassandra were both unmarried and had no resources of their own and had to reduce their staff to just one maid (originally a man and two maids.) Their brothers contributed to their income which was around £460 per year. Jane an Cassandra lived here for about a year before moving to a house in Trim Street.

The Jane Austen Centre is a short walk away at number 40.

At just 40 she began to feel unwell. She dried to brush it off and continued in the usual round of family activities. The following year even her family noticed her declining health. Nobody really knows what she died of. It was at first thought to be Addison's disease or Hodgkin's lymphoma though others have suggested bovine tuberculosis commonly associated with drinking unpasteurized milk.

Chinese visitors inside The Jane Austen Centre…

Some photos of me in Bath…