The city of Bath does not shy away from its connection to Jane Austen, organizing tours and themed events to attract visitors from around the world. In the 250th anniversary year of Austen’s birth, an exhibition at No 1 Royal Crescent challenges the notion that Austen had a pleasing experience of the city during her stay. Called “The Most Tiresome Place in the World: Jane Austen & Bath,” the exhibition emphasizes Austen’s rather unhappy time in the Georgian city. Despite her dislike, Austen used Bath extensively in her novels “Persuasion” and “Northanger Abbey.”
Izzy Wall, the exhibition curator, noted that Bath is known for Jane Austen and most organizations in Bath benefit from this association. However, Austen didn’t enjoy living in Bath, expressing many unpleasant views about the city in her letters. When Austen’s family moved from Hampshire to Bath, she is said to have fainted upon hearing the news, a detail Wall describes as “a good story” even if its veracity is uncertain.
Pictures of Benton Street in Bath from Austen’s time show the city as a building site with smoking chimneys and poor sewage, rather than the historic beauty it is today. Austen lived in Bath from 1801 to 1806 and wrote little during her stay, except for the start of “The Watsons,” a manuscript that will be on display. Her father died in Bath in 1805, a blow that also caused financial insecurity for the family.
After returning to Chawton, Hampshire, Austen’s writing productivity picked up. She previously visited Bath and later used the city as a backdrop in her novels. Wall, while acknowledging Austen’s inspiration by the city, aims to provide a nuanced look of Austen’s complex relationship with Bath.
The exhibition’s title comes from a conversation in “Northanger Abbey” where Bath is described as “the most tiresome place in the world” after six weeks. The event, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, will also include tours, talks, and other events.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/jul/01/smoke-and-confusion-new-exhibition-reveals-jane-austen-true-thoughts-on-bath
