Britain's literary heritage is as rich and varied as its landscapes. For centuries, the rolling hills, dramatic coastlines, and historic cities of Great Britain have inspired some of the world's most beloved authors. Their homes, now preserved as museums and historic sites, offer fascinating glimpses into the minds that created timeless classics.
At BritExplore, we believe that exploring the homes and landscapes that inspired great literature adds a deeper dimension to your British travel experience. Follow us on a journey through Literary Britain as we explore the places that shaped the works of famous authors from the 16th century to the modern day.
Jane Austen's England: Hampshire and Bath
Few British authors capture the essence of Regency England like Jane Austen. Her witty social commentaries and nuanced romances continue to captivate readers worldwide. Austen spent most of her life in Hampshire, and it was here that she wrote her most celebrated novels, including "Pride and Prejudice," "Emma," and "Sense and Sensibility."
Jane Austen's House Museum, Chawton
The modest redbrick cottage in the village of Chawton is where Jane Austen spent the last eight years of her life and wrote or revised all her major works. Today, the house serves as a museum dedicated to her life and works. Visitors can see the small table where she wrote her masterpieces, her personal effects, and even the creaking door she refused to have oiled—its sound warned her when someone was approaching, allowing her to hide her manuscripts.
Winchester Cathedral
When illness overtook her, Jane moved to Winchester to be closer to her doctor. She died there in 1817 at the age of 41 and was buried in Winchester Cathedral. Her gravestone notably doesn't mention her literary achievements, as she was not widely celebrated during her lifetime. A later memorial plaque acknowledges her contribution to literature.
Bath
Jane Austen lived in Bath from 1801 to 1806, and the city features prominently in novels like "Northanger Abbey" and "Persuasion." The Jane Austen Centre on Gay Street explores her time in the city, while a walking tour of Bath reveals many locations that would have been familiar to both Austen and her characters. The elegant Assembly Rooms, where Austen and her characters attended balls, and the Royal Crescent, a perfect example of Georgian architecture, are must-see sites for Austen enthusiasts.
The Brontë Sisters: Yorkshire's Dramatic Landscapes
The windswept moors of Yorkshire provided the dramatic backdrop for the passionate novels of the Brontë sisters. Charlotte, Emily, and Anne grew up in the parsonage at Haworth, where their father served as perpetual curate. Isolated and surrounded by the wild beauty of the moors, the sisters developed rich imaginative lives that led to the creation of classics like "Jane Eyre," "Wuthering Heights," and "The Tenant of Wildfell Hall."
The Brontë Parsonage Museum, Haworth
The Brontë sisters spent most of their lives in this modest stone parsonage, now preserved as a museum. Walking through the rooms where they lived, wrote, and died creates an intimate connection with these remarkable women. The dining room is particularly evocative—it was here, around the table, that the sisters would walk in circles each evening, discussing their writing and developing their ideas. The museum houses an impressive collection of manuscripts, letters, and personal possessions.
The Yorkshire Moors
No visit to Brontë Country would be complete without exploring the windswept moorlands that so profoundly influenced their writing, particularly Emily's "Wuthering Heights." The path to Top Withens, the ruined farmhouse often cited as the inspiration for the Earnshaw home in "Wuthering Heights," offers spectacular views and a tangible connection to the landscape that shaped the Brontës' literary imagination. Further afield, the village of Cowan Bridge housed the school that inspired the infamous Lowood Institution in "Jane Eyre."
William Shakespeare: Stratford-upon-Avon
No literary tour of Britain would be complete without visiting Stratford-upon-Avon, the birthplace of William Shakespeare. The Bard's influence on literature, language, and culture is immeasurable, and the charming market town where he was born, lived, and died offers multiple sites connected to his life and legacy.
Shakespeare's Birthplace
This half-timbered house on Henley Street is where William Shakespeare was born in 1564 and spent his childhood years. The house has been carefully preserved and restored to reflect what it would have looked like during Shakespeare's time. Costumed guides bring the house to life, and visitors can see the room where Shakespeare was born and watch actors perform scenes from his plays in the garden.
Anne Hathaway's Cottage
Just outside Stratford in the hamlet of Shottery stands the childhood home of Shakespeare's wife, Anne Hathaway. This picturesque thatched cottage has been preserved much as it would have been when the 18-year-old Shakespeare courted Anne. The extensive gardens feature many plants and flowers mentioned in Shakespeare's works.
Holy Trinity Church
Shakespeare was baptized and buried at this beautiful church on the banks of the River Avon. His grave, marked with a curse against anyone who moves his bones, can be viewed in the chancel. The church also houses the graves of Anne Hathaway and other family members.
Royal Shakespeare Theatre
While not a historic site from Shakespeare's time, no visit to Stratford would be complete without experiencing one of his plays performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company in their riverside theater. Seeing the Bard's works performed in his hometown adds a special dimension to understanding his enduring appeal.
Beatrix Potter's Lake District
The charming tales of Peter Rabbit, Jemima Puddle-Duck, and other beloved characters were inspired by the beautiful landscapes of England's Lake District. Beatrix Potter spent many childhood holidays in the region before eventually settling there permanently. Her detailed illustrations capture both the natural beauty of the area and its traditional rural way of life.
Hill Top Farm, Near Sawrey
Purchased with the proceeds from her first books, Hill Top Farm became Beatrix Potter's beloved country home. Left exactly as it was when she lived there, the 17th-century farmhouse contains many objects that appear in her illustrations. Wandering through the house and garden, fans will recognize settings from tales such as "The Tale of Tom Kitten" and "The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck." Potter specified in her will that the house should be preserved with her belongings in their exact places, making it a perfect time capsule of her life.
The World of Beatrix Potter Attraction, Bowness-on-Windermere
This family-friendly attraction brings Potter's stories to life with detailed dioramas depicting scenes from her books. While not a historic site, it provides context and background on Potter's work and connection to the Lake District.
Beatrix Potter Gallery, Hawkshead
Housed in what was once the office of Potter's husband, a local solicitor, this National Trust property displays a changing selection of Potter's original artwork. The building itself is a 17th-century stone house that exemplifies the traditional Lake District architecture Potter loved.
Charles Dickens' London
The foggy, bustling streets of Victorian London come alive in Charles Dickens' novels. His vivid descriptions of both the city's grandeur and its squalor paint a compelling picture of 19th-century urban life. Many of the locations he wrote about can still be visited today, offering insights into the London that shaped his characters and stories.
Charles Dickens Museum, 48 Doughty Street
Dickens lived in this Georgian terraced house with his wife Catherine and the first three of their ten children from 1837 to 1839. During this period, he wrote "Oliver Twist" and "Nicholas Nickleby," cementing his literary reputation. Now preserved as a museum, the house contains many personal items, including manuscripts, paintings, and furniture. The study where Dickens wrote, his reading desk used for public performances, and even the bed where he died (moved from his final home) can all be seen here.
Dickensian London Walking Tour
Many locations mentioned in Dickens' novels still exist in some form. The Old Curiosity Shop, claimed to be the inspiration for the novel of the same name, stands near Lincoln's Inn Fields. The Inns of Court, where Dickens worked as a law clerk, feature in several of his stories. The recreated Old Bailey, site of many dramatic trial scenes, and St. Paul's Cathedral, described in several works, remain central London landmarks.
Rochester, Kent
Just outside London, this historic town features prominently in works like "Great Expectations" and "The Pickwick Papers." Dickens spent part of his childhood in nearby Chatham and returned to the area later in life, living at Gad's Hill Place in nearby Higham until his death. Rochester hosts an annual Dickens Festival celebrating the author's connection to the town.
Agatha Christie's Devon
The "Queen of Crime," Agatha Christie, set many of her detective novels in the picturesque county of Devon, where she was born and later maintained a holiday home. The elegant seaside resorts, quiet villages, and stately homes of the region provided perfect settings for murder and mystery.
Greenway House, near Dartmouth
Christie called Greenway her "dream home," and used it as a holiday retreat from 1938 until her death in 1976. Now managed by the National Trust, the Georgian house sits in a spectacular setting overlooking the River Dart. Christie set several of her novels here, including "Dead Man's Folly" and "Five Little Pigs." The house contains many of Christie's personal collections, including archaeological artifacts from expeditions with her second husband, Sir Max Mallowan. The boathouse on the estate features as a murder scene in "Dead Man's Folly."
Torquay
Christie was born in this seaside resort town in 1890. The Agatha Christie Mile along Torquay's seafront links important sites related to her life, including her birthplace (though the house itself has been replaced) and the Grand Hotel, where she spent her honeymoon with her first husband. The Torquay Museum houses the Agatha Christie Gallery, with memorabilia and props from film adaptations of her works.
Burgh Island
This tidal island off the South Devon coast is home to an Art Deco hotel where Christie wrote two of her novels. The island inspired the settings for "And Then There Were None" and "Evil Under the Sun." The hotel maintains its 1930s glamour and even has a suite named after the author.
Wordsworth's Lake District
William Wordsworth, one of England's most beloved poets, drew constant inspiration from the natural beauty of the Lake District. His poetry celebrates the region's mountains, lakes, and rustic lifestyle, and helped establish the Romantic movement in English literature.
Dove Cottage, Grasmere
Wordsworth lived in this simple stone cottage with his sister Dorothy from 1799 to 1808, during what is often described as his most productive and creative period. Here he wrote many of his most famous poems, including parts of "The Prelude" and "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud," inspired by the daffodils at nearby Ullswater. The cottage has been preserved much as it was during Wordsworth's time, with Dorothy's journals providing detailed information about their daily life. The adjacent Wordsworth Museum houses manuscripts, paintings, and personal possessions.
Rydal Mount, Ambleside
Wordsworth's home from 1813 until his death in 1850, this larger house sits between Grasmere and Ambleside with spectacular views of Lake Windermere. The house contains portraits, personal possessions, and first editions of the poet's work. The extensive gardens were designed by Wordsworth himself, who was as passionate about landscape gardening as he was about poetry.
Grasmere Village and Church
Both William and Dorothy Wordsworth are buried in the churchyard of St. Oswald's Church in Grasmere village. The simple graves, surrounded by daffodils in spring, are marked with unassuming headstones—a fitting memorial for a poet who celebrated the simple and the natural. The village itself, with its stone cottages and traditional tea shops, retains much of the charm that Wordsworth would have known.
Literary London: Beyond Dickens
Beyond Charles Dickens, London has been home to countless literary figures through the centuries. The city's libraries, pubs, homes, and even cemeteries offer numerous sites for literary pilgrims to explore.
The British Library
This national treasure houses original manuscripts by many of Britain's greatest writers, from Charlotte Brontë's "Jane Eyre" to Lewis Carroll's "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland." The library's Sir John Ritblat Gallery displays some of its most precious literary holdings, including handwritten drafts by Jane Austen, Virginia Woolf, and Charles Dickens, as well as lyrics by The Beatles.
Bloomsbury
This central London district was home to the influential Bloomsbury Group of writers and intellectuals in the early 20th century. Virginia Woolf lived at 46 Gordon Square, while other members of the group, including E.M. Forster and Lytton Strachey, lived nearby. Blue plaques mark many of the significant addresses, and guided walking tours explore the area's rich literary history.
221B Baker Street
Although Sherlock Holmes was a fictional character, fans flock to this address to visit the museum dedicated to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's famous detective. The museum recreates Holmes' Victorian-era apartment as described in the stories.
Poets' Corner, Westminster Abbey
This section of the historic abbey contains memorials to many of Britain's greatest literary figures, including Geoffrey Chaucer, William Shakespeare, Jane Austen, the Brontë sisters, T.S. Eliot, and many others. Some, like Dickens, are actually buried here, while others are commemorated with plaques or busts.
Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese
Rebuilt after the Great Fire of London in 1666, this historic pub on Fleet Street was a favorite haunt of literary figures including Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Samuel Johnson. The dark, maze-like interior has changed little over the centuries and offers a tangible connection to London's literary past.
Planning Your Literary Tour of Britain
At BritExplore, we specialize in creating customized literary tours that bring the homes and landscapes of Britain's great writers to life. Whether you're a dedicated fan of a particular author or interested in exploring Britain's broad literary heritage, we can design an itinerary that matches your interests.
Our most popular literary tours include:
- The Jane Austen Tour - Exploring Hampshire, Bath, and other Austen-related sites
- Brontë and Wordsworth: Literary Northern England - Combining the Yorkshire moors and the Lake District
- Shakespeare's England - Stratford-upon-Avon and London sites connected to the Bard
- Literary London Walking Tour - Exploring the city's rich literary heritage from Dickens to modern authors
- Christie and du Maurier's Southwest - Murder mysteries and romance in Devon and Cornwall
Our expert guides don't just show you these literary sites—they bring them to life with readings from relevant works, background on the authors' lives, and insights into how the landscapes influenced their writing. We can also arrange special access to collections not normally open to the public, meetings with curators or scholars, and attendance at relevant theatrical performances or festivals.
For dedicated fans, we can create highly specialized tours focused on a single author or work. Recent custom tours have included "Following Mr. Darcy" (visiting filming locations from Pride and Prejudice adaptations) and "Harry Potter's Britain" (exploring both the real locations that inspired J.K. Rowling and filming sites from the movies).
Contact us today to start planning your literary journey through Great Britain.