We dip into the stunning, scenic and storied English city

Sunday World

2 days ago

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As Jane Austen turns 250, we head to the city that the author once called home
And for the celebrated British author of the 1817 novel it has certainly proved the case.
It's Jane Austen's 250th birthday this year, but the passage of two and a half centuries hasn't sated the worldwide appetite for her literary works, two more being Emma and Mansfield Park.
Quite the opposite, in fact, with everything from Bridget Jones to Bridgerton giving new life to her iconic creations, and the universal truth that 'we are all fools in love', in recent years.
The historic ancient Roman baths
And so it is, on a sunny spring day in 2025, that I find myself gazing up at a lifelike figurine of Mr Darcy, or at least what we all imagine the brooding heartthrob to look like ever since a sopping wet Colin Firth emerged from a lake in the 1995 BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice.
The white shirt, presumably now dry, sold at auction for £25,000 in the UK last year.
But there are still plenty of other Irish linen shirts, as well as Regency-style day dresses, shawls and bonnets in the vein of Elizabeth Bennet to try on at The Jane Austen Centre in Bath, Somerset.
Austen's hometown of Hampshire, where she was born and died at just 41, naturally holds the greatest claim to the scribe on this, her semiquincentennial.
The Jane Austen Festival's fab costumes
Some 68 miles away, however, Bath also boasts a special place in the heart of Janeites all over the globe, with the 'City of Pleasures', where she lived for five years, the backdrop to two of her six novels.
Whether you've devoured her entire back catalogue, or never read a single word, the fascinating immersive centre (janeausten.co.uk) is as good a jumping off point as any for visitors hoping to get a better understanding of the trailblazing writer and the imprint she left on the world.
Remarkably, yet in keeping with the social mores of the day when young women were expected to be more concerned with finding a husband than their narrative voice, it wasn't until after death that her name appeared on her books, originally simply credited as being penned 'By a Lady'.
Spires in the skyline
But, between Austen-themed festivals, food offerings and filming locations, among other frivolities, the Georgian city, reachable from Bristol Airport in about 40 minutes by bus, more than makes up for it today.
Flanked by my very own Martha Lloyd, Austen's closest friend, on a two-night trip to Bath, I jumped aboard the unmistakable red Tootbus to get a sense (and sensibility) of where to begin.
Priced from £24.50, the company (tootbus.com) offers a number of hop on-hop off tours including Bath Discovery and Hop on with Jane Austen in Bath, although must-see attractions like historic Bath Abbey and the ancient Roman Baths are all perfectly walkable, even in a flouncy ball dress.
Sally Lunn's restaurant
Conveniently, there was a stop for both routes taken by the double-decker right outside my hotel: one taking in more city centre landmarks like the famed Royal Crescent and Guildhall Market, the other sweeping high above the city past the spectacular Pulteney Bridge and Prior Park Landscape Garden.
Based on North Parade, that's not the only good reason to stay at the four-star Abbey Hotel, with the boutique property also just a proverbial stone's throw from the main shopping street, and its maze of side streets running the gamut from high fashion to handmade fudge.
Conscious of another of Jane's pearls of wisdom, to 'go and eat and drink a little more, and you will do very well', I took a creamy vanilla slab of the stuff back to my suitably refined double room for later, before heading for dinner at the nearby Sally Lunn's restaurant (sallylunns.co.uk) , home to the yeast dough bun that is to Bath what the blaa is to Waterford, and where everything is served on a slab of the bread — and all the better for it.
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You couldn't possibly celebrate the author's milestone birthday, though, without indulging in the tower of dainty sandwiches and delicate cakes that were popular in her day, and still to this one, and there are traditional tea rooms on virtually every corner of the World Heritage city.
After following in her footsteps on a hugely entertaining walking tour run by Strictly Jane Austen (strictlyjaneausten.com) , and hearing of her ill-fated love affair with Limerick lawyer Thomas Lefroy, who went on to become Chief Justice of Ireland, and who's widely accepted as the inspiration for Mr Darcy, we finished with afternoon tea at the elegant Gainsborough hotel (thegainsboroughbathspa.co.uk) .
Today's parents may be frantic trying to decipher the true meaning of their teens' textspeak, but as our charming part-Irish guide Theresa Roche explains, when it came to flirting, back then it was all about the art of the fan, which certainly seems a lot more sophisticated than simply swiping left or right.
Not that Jane and her peers were the first to help turn Bath into the most fashionable city outside of London.
The Abbey Hotel, Bath
The true source of its popularity — and, obviously, its name — sprang up far earlier with its healing waters, and you know what they say: when in Rome, or in this case Bath, do as the Romans do.
As well as exploring the original bathing site, elsewhere you can simmer away in the warm mineral-rich waters at the modern-day Thermae Bath Spa, before relaxing in a Roman steam room, with the £42 admission price worth it for the amazing rooftop view of the city alone (thermaebathspa.com) .
For all this year's pageantry, Jane, it has to be said, had a complicated relationship with the city, where the family fell on hard times after the death of her father, something which is being explored by an exhibition entitled, 'The Most Tiresome Place in the World: Jane Austen & Bath', running at No. 1 Royal Crescent until November.
Over two centuries on, and two days later, however, for this 'obstinate, headstrong girl', at least, there is much to ardently admire about Bath.
​See austen250.co.uk and visitbath.co.uk for more
Deirdre exploring in Bath
■ How to get there: Aer Lingus Regional operates flights between Dublin and Bristol up to three times daily, with fares starting at €29.99 one-way. The airline also operates a Cork to Bristol service up to two times daily, with fares starting at €39.99 one-way. Book at aerlingus.com. ■ Where to stay: The central Abbey Hotel has everything from Cosy Print rooms to Gallery Family rooms, starting from £157 per night, including a hearty breakfast. There are even dog-friendly rooms so you can bring four-legged members of the family. Visit abbeyhotelbath.co.uk. ■ Where to eat: Jane probably wasn't a lover of pizza, but those empire line frocks would have been handy for feasting on bulging burgers and bottomless brunch in Bath Pizza Co, which is a former train station. ■ Come for the reasonably-priced fare, and stay for the live music and friendly staff. See greenparkbrasserie.com.