My Stay in 4 Sydney Place, Jane Austen's Former home, Bath

(Ignore the blonde wig - it is a long story!)

Early this month, July 13th-15th to be precise, I had a delightful sojourn in the city of Bath, and thanks to 'Bath Boutique Stays', I was fortunate enough to be able to stay at 4 Sydney Place, in the very house where Jane Austen lived with her family from 1801-1804!  I had such a lovely time, and I can't deny it felt pretty special to be actually spending time in a house where Jane herself had lived, to be walking in the very same rooms that she did, and to be gazing out of the window at a view that she would have recognised. 



The view from the top floor

 






 

And even better, I am pleased to say that anyone can share my experience, as the house is now available to visitors! 

 



The entrance hall

'Bath Boutique Stays' acquired the property when it went up for sale 3 years ago, in order to give Austen fans the opportunity to stay here, and to avoid it falling into the hands of investors who may not know their Austen from their Brontë! So the new owners have turned 4 Sydney Place into four holiday suites:- Emma's Garden Apartment on the ground floor, Cassandra's 1st Floor Apartment, Mr Darcy's 2nd Floor Apartment and the Penthouse at the top.

The garden

I stayed in Emma's Apartment which has the added bonus of access to the garden (although the typically English summer weather (wet!) wasn't quite good enough for me to make the most of that!).

The bedroom

 It is a fine suite of rooms, and what struck me straight away is the size of it! Georgian townhouses in Bath really are deceptively spacious, with such high ceilings!   The bedroom (formerly Mr Austen's library and study) has two large, comfy, single beds (although an extra double sofa-bed can be provided I believe),






The living room

and this leads into a vast, light and airy sitting room with two huge Chesterfield sofas and a long wooden dining table by the picture windows.











The kitchen

The showeroom

The accommodation is completed at the back with a compact, well-equipped kitchen and a shower room.

 

With the lovey Lucy Bennett

First impressions were very pleasing; everything was clean, tidy and uncluttered, and there was a local, organic candle burning away in the front room, which was a nice touch. I felt very welcomed by the lovely Lucy Bennett, (yes, that is her real name!), who showed me around the apartment and told me about the house, its history and how it would have been in Jane's time. She really knew her stuff, which impressed me!

The rather disappointing safe!

She explained that Emma's apartment contained the room which had been Jane's father's study and she showed me an old, secret safe which had been discovered during the refurbishments. Unfortunately, their hopes of finding a new, unpublished Jane Austen manuscript were dashed when they  opened it - to reveal it contained a single monkey nut! 

 




 

Cassandra's apartment

Lucy also showed me the Penthouse and Cassandra's Apartment, between visitors, and they both looked lovely too. Unfortunately Darcy's Apartment was occupied, but hopefully I will be returning before too long and would like to book a stay in there next time, particularly as it is this apartment that contains Jane and her sister Cassandra's actual bedroom. Lucy and other members of the team are extremely welcoming and knowledgeable, and they are always on hand to answer queries, offer advice and sort out any potential problems, which is a real bonus! 

 

Facilities throughout the property are excellent. There's a good information booklet explaining the ins and outs of the property, and recommending things to do and places to eat nearby. The kitchen offers a supply of charming 'Jane Austen blend' teabags, quality coffee, chilled milk and of course is well-equipped with crockery, cutlery, cooking utensils, oven, microwave, fridge, freezer etc. and even a maid to wash the dishes for you - well, the modern equivalent, I should say, a very welcome dishwasher; no one wants to wash up when on holiday! There is a discreet (19th century?) television and free wifi in the property, as well as plenty of cosy towels and luxury bath products too! Just outside the apartment in the entrance hall is a bookshelf stocked with JAFF books for you to borrow, more helpful information leaflets on Bath and, which I rather enjoyed, an extra large bowl of very tasty sweets - pear drops! 

 

The Holburne Museum

During our stay, we visited the local recommended deli for a very delicious English breakfast. We also tried the local pub in the evening - literally less than a 2 minute walk round the corner! - which is very friendly and welcoming, and offers some well-cooked, traditional pub favourites.   Just across the road from 4 Sydney Place is the Holburne Museum, which has a great café and some interesting exhibitions - apparently, Jane used to take breakfast there sometimes too!  Sydney Gardens and Henrietta Park are very close, which offer a quiet, leafy afternoon stroll with your parasol, (even in the rain!). 

 

4 Sydney Place

4 Sydney Place is in such a good location!  You are on the edge of central Bath: just a 7 minute level walk up Great Pultney Street and you are in the very heart of the city. It is ideal if you don't have a car, however, if you do come by car, Bath Boutique Stays have parking permits available to rent and will help you find a suitable place to park nearby, but chances are you won't need to drive anywhere, as the city is all within easy reach by foot.  Sydney Place is on a road that gets quite busy at peak times, but noise didn't seem to be an issue - and for the evening, the windows have shutters to put across which block out any potential road noise. 

 

One thing I found very amusing was the number of photos I possibly 'bombed'! I felt like royalty! With Emma's apartment being on the ground floor, the living room looks right on to the pavement and frequently, passers-by would stop and take a photo of the house, the front door, and the historic plaque saying "Jane Austen lived here, 1801 - 1805". (Spot the mistake there! It was actually until 1804! I wonder who organised the plaque? It's quite old).





As well as pedestrians, every 30 minutes a tourist bus or coach would drive past and I could see all the heads turn towards me at once, presumably when the tour guide announced that they were passing Jane Austen's house and pointed it out!  I really felt like waving regally to everyone - well, actually, what I really wanted to do was to dress up in costume and stand near the window - to give people an extra  Regency experience or just a bit of a shock! I didn't find it an intrusion at all, however, I just thought it was rather good fun! 

 


 

Overall, I had a very enjoyable time with Bath Boutique Stays and can thoroughly recommend them to you for your next visit to Bath! And if you mention my blog, you will receive a complimentary bottle of Prosecco for your stay!  This small independent company also manage other holiday properties in Bath, but if you're like me, it is probably Jane's house that would most appeal. I'm already planning my own next stay at 4 Sydney Place! 

Check out availability here!

 

 

 

Your affectionate friend,