Jane Austen’s childhood home where she wrote Pride and Prejudice on sale for $10.3m

Set in a 20-hectare property, the six-bedroom Georgian home is in Hampshire, England

An aerial view of the 20-hectare Steventon House estate in Hampshire, England where author Jane Austen grew up. Photo: Knight Frank and Savills

Book and history lovers with $10.3 million to spare will be able to own a slice of literary history, as celebrated English novelist Jane Austen’s home has been put up for sale.

The six-bedroom, four-bathroom Steventon House in Hampshire, England, has been put on the market by its current owners, giving house-hunters the chance to live in the home where Austen not only spent her childhood, but also wrote Pride and Prejudice, as well as Northanger Abbey and Sense and Sensibility.

“Many homes across the country can lay claim to having ties to some of Britain's most historical figures, however, only Steventon House was the birthplace of iconic author Jane Austen, where she wrote some of her most significant works,” said Ed Sugden, director of Savills UK country department.

The 649 square metres Grade II-listed manse, which is being sold by Knight Frank and Savills, is set on 20 hectares of gardens and parkland and includes an additional two properties, Clover Cottage and the Coach House.

The Georgian home, which is reached by a tree-lined driveway, “has been extensively and beautifully refurbished to the highest of standards with great attention to detail", the estate agents say.

Inside the house, there’s “an array of fine period features, including fireplaces with decorative stone and carved wooden surrounds” according to Knight Frank and Savills, as well as “high ceilings with delicate cornices and sash windows [which] give all the rooms enormous character.”

Scroll through the gallery below for more images of Jane Austen's childhood home

The principal bedroom features a walk-in wardrobe and en-suite bathroom. Two bedrooms have an adjoining bathroom and shower room, while the other three bedrooms have use of a family bathroom.

The second floor features three attic rooms, and the cellar, reached via the stairs in the rear hall, has several storerooms and a temperature-controlled wine cellar.

The Coach House behind the property features parking for two cars, as well as stables. The rear terrace overlooks a heated swimming pool, which has a changing and shower room nearby.

The estate agents highlight the “seclusion and magnificence of the impressive walled garden”, which features a white wisteria walk to the tennis court. There is also a rose walk which leads to a rose garden, while the front of the house is surrounded by cherry trees.

Austen was born in Steventon in December 1775, and lived at the Hampshire estate from her birth until 1801, when her father, a reverend, moved the family to Bath. She began writing her novel First Impressions, which would become Pride and Prejudice, in October 1796 at the age of 20.

In 1826, Austen’s brother, Edward, tore down the original house to build Steventon House, later selling it to the second Duke of Wellington in 1855.