St Nicholas' Church, Steventon

About

Dedicated to St Nicholas, the church is a small, simple, Norman building which was originally constructed around 1200. The first recorded evidence for the existence of the church at Steventon was in 1238, but it is best known for its associations with Jane Austen.

It is the single most important building left standing in Steventon, which relates to her life when she lived here. The Rectory where she was born and lived is now gone, but the church survives, and apart from a number of largely cosmetic differences, it is little changed from when she lived in the village.

This church was an everyday part of Jane's life, and she would certainly have no problems in recognising it as the church in which she worshipped for the first 25 years of her life. Her father George Austen, two of her brothers James and Henry, and her nephew William Knight (the son of her brother Edward, were all Rectors of Steventon, in fact members of the Austen family were Rectors of Steventon from 1759 to 1873, a period of 114 years, more than any other family in the history of the church. Jane's grandmother, her eldest brother James and both his wives, Anne and Mary, are buried here. Jane's nephew William Knight and several members of his family are also buried here, as are a number of her friends and acquaintances. Every memorial, bar one, inside the church, has a direct connection to Jane Austen. No doubt, several of the graves in the churchyard are the graves of people she knew in the village.

Please come and look around this simple village church and enjoy its tranquil peace, as no doubt Jane did. The church is open to visitors in daylight hours but groups and coach parties are requested to make a booking as parking is limited.

There is no charge but a suggested voluntary donation of £5 per adult is welcome.