Jane Austen statue unveiled at cathedral

A life-sized sculpture of Jane Austen has been unveiled in the grounds of Winchester Cathedral to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the writer's birth.

The globally popular author of novels including Pride and Prejudice was born in the village of Steventon near Basingstoke in 1775.

She died at a house in College Street, Winchester, in 1817 and is buried in the cathedral.

The new statue, depicting Austen by her writing table, is the work of the artist Martin Jennings.

He also made the Charles Dickens statue in Portsmouth and, more recently, designed the first crowned portrait of King Charles III for the Royal Mint to use on its coins.

Plans for a statue of Austen, by the same artist, were scrapped in 2019, when Winchester Cathedral said it needed to focus its attention on "other priorities".

But Winchester City Council confirmed in August 2024 proposals for the statue had been approved.

Speaking after the unveiling, the Reverend Canon Dr Roland Riem, interim dean of Winchester Cathedral said: "The grave is a ledger stone with some lovely words on it but we had nothing that signified her legacy, her vision, her vitality and a sculpture does that better than anything."

The unveiling was preceded by a special thanksgiving service in the cathedral, which included a new hymn celebrating Austen's life.

The city's tourist office, Visit Winchester, said on its website that Austen's grave was a principal destination for many visitors.

It said that although there were no uncontested portraits of the author, Martin Jennings had studied the available evidence to produce a likeness.

The life-sized statue of Austen is located in the Inner Close of the cathedral, standing by her famous writing table, with her characteristic ringlets and cap.

Her written works have been adapted many times for film and television, with Netflix currently filming a new version of Pride and Prejudice.

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