Jane Austen letter goes on show in Chawton

Jane Austen wrote to her niece Anna Austen in 1814

A rare section of a letter written by Jane Austen has gone on show at the author's home after a successful crowdfunding appeal.

Jane Austen House Museum in Chawton, Hampshire, raised more than £35,000 to buy the letter, written to her niece Anna Austen in 1814.

Museum director Dr Mary Guyatt said: "We are thrilled to be able to display this irreplaceable manuscript".

The letter, dated 29 November 1814, had recently surfaced after being lost.

The museum raised more than £10,000 from a crowdfunding appeal, on top of a National Lottery grant and contributions from charitable trusts, to secure the letter which had previously been in private hands.

The letter contains glimpses into Austen's views on family life.

The letter has gone on display at the Jane Austen House Museum

"I like first Cousins to be first Cousins, & interested about each other. They are but one remove from Br. & Sr.," it said.

It also mentions a trip to the theatre, with a quip: "I took two Pocket handkerchiefs, but had very little occasion for either."

Museum trustee and Austen scholar Prof Kathryn Sutherland said: "As any two pages go, these are delightful and rich in information. The letter fits wonderfully well with others in the museum's collection."

The museum, in the house in the village of Chawton where Austen lived from 1809, until her death in 1817, already holds 12 letters written by her, as well as others by close family members.

The building is where she completed all of her novels, including Pride & Prejudice, Sense & Sensibility and Emma.

Austen, who lived most of her life in Hampshire, is one of English literature's most celebrated authors.

The museum is located in the house in Chawton in which Jane Austen lived