I forgot to mention I went there a few weeks ago. Austen lived in Bath for about five years, not exactly in the house the exhibition is in, but in a very similar one a bit up the road. I can recommend it to people who don't know a lot about her biographical background. If you already do, there won't be much in it for you, as there is only a very basic introductory talk, about 10-15 minutes, which sort of outlines the major events in her life and focusses of course on the Bath years. After that you can walk around the house and read stuff about life and society in Regency Bath and a few details about Austen's life, with quotations from her letters, or have your photo taken wearing Regency costumes. The talk only deals with the books, but the last room of the exhibition is dedicated to the many film adaptations of Austen's novels and even features a letter from Emma Thompson, who sent a copy of her Golden Globe acceptance speech, which she delivered Jane Austen style.
So it is
definitely worth checking out if you are new to Jane Austen, or have
read her books but want to find out a bit more about the historical
and biographical background. They've also got a lovely tea room
upstairs, and if you're a student you can get in a bit cheaper.
Watch Emma
Thompson's infamous acceptance speech:
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