Spring 2008
Welcome to the Spring edition of your Letter from Chawton, the quarterly newsletter from Chawton House Library. We have lots of exciting plans this year, and also for 2009, which is the bicentenary of Jane Austen’s arrival in Chawton. We hope you enjoy reading our latest news and that you can join us for some of our events in the year ahead. Christmas Party
A wonderful celebration was held in the suitably festive Great Hall as a thank you to all the volunteers who have helped us throughout the year. We rely on our trusty volunteers to help us at all of our events and this annual party is our chance to show them how much we appreciate them. If you would like to find out more about volunteering, please do get in touch - new helpers are always welcome!
Barn Appeal Success We are getting much closer to our target with the Barn Appeal now after an extremely generous donation of £50,000 from the Linbury Trust taking the total
raised so far to £111,500. We would particularly like to thank Lord Sainsbury of Preston Candover KG for his interest in the project and all of the Trustees of the Linbury Trust for bringing us so much closer to our goal. We have a further £18,500 left to raise. If you would like to donate to the Barn Appeal, please call us on the number below or send a cheque telling us that the donation is for the Barn Appeal.
Longstock Park Water Garden
We are delighted to announce that, together with the Hampshire Gardens Trust, we have been selected to hold a special public opening of the private Longstock Park Water Garden to raise funds and increase awareness of the two charities and their school gardening projects. Referred to as the ‘finest water garden in the world’ by the International Water Lilly Society, the garden is part of the Leckford Estate and was created by John Spedan Lewis in the 1940s as a place to work and reflect. The seven acres of garden includes two and a half acres of lakes, which are fed by the River Test so the water remains very clear, the maze of islands and woodland glades combine to create a different vista at every turn. It is the perfect environment to cultivate
Chawton House Library, Chawton, Alton, Hampshire, GU34 1SJ T: +44 (0) 1420 541010 F: +44 (0) 1420 595900 E: info@chawton.net W: www.chawtonhouse.org. Registered Charity No. 1026921 Company Registration No. 2851718
a diversity of water-loving plants and there are over 40 different types of water lily alone. Please join us on this special day on Sunday 17th August from 2-5pm. Admission will be £5 for adults and £1 for children (up to and including 14 years of age) and all proceeds will go directly to the two charities.
Louis De Bernières & the Antonius Players On Friday 4th July, we will be hosting a champagne reception at Chawton House Library, followed by an evening performance at St Nicholas Church by Louis De Bernières and the Antonius Players. As well as his award-winning writing, Louis De Bernières is an accomplished musician and, along with the versatile and talented Antonius Players, will perform a light-hearted programme of words and music.
Reduce, Re-use, Recycle!
We are sending out a Reclaim-IT envelope with each copy of the Letter from Chawton. If you have any used printer cartridges or old mobile phones that you need to throw away, all you need to do is put them in these prepaid envelopes and send them to Reclaim-IT who will recycle them and donate the value to Chawton House Library; a unique way to help the environment and raise funds!
World Book Day
Finn McCreath, Director of the Scottish Book Town Festival, described their performance thus: “a number of musical recitals, performed on an impressive range of instruments, punctuated by a number of readings of poetry and prose. In my experience as a festival director, I have never seen an audience so enthralled by an event.” He added “through thoughtful choice of repertoire and charming stage presence, they brought tears of laughter and emotion, with every conceivable mood in between.” Tickets for this event are £20 including the reception. If you would like to join Louis and the performers for supper in the Great Hall, you can purchase a ticket for champagne reception, performance and supper for £60.
Chawton House Library and Chawton Primary School once again participated in World Book Day this year. Designated by UNESCO as a worldwide celebration of books and reading, the day is marked in over 100 countries around the globe. The children dressed as their favourite book character and were given a talk on how to care for rare books as part of this day, which aims to encourage children to appreciate books and reading. (Image above used with kind permission from the Post Gazette, Alton).
Jane Austen Bicentenary
Plans are already underway for 2009 which will be a special year for Chawton as it is the bicentenary of Jane Austen’s arrival in the village. Here at Chawton House Library, we aim to collaborate with the Jane Austen’s House Museum and other organisations to ensure a well-timed programme of events. Among the ideas we are in the process of confirming is a conference focusing on the international impact of Austen. Watch this space!