Literary Links
From inspirational bustling cities to idyllic secluded countryside, South East England has been the Muse to many of the great English writers.
Here are just a selection of some of the many great English writers who have called South East England home.
Jane Austen
Jane Austen was born in the charming village of Steventon in Hampshire. Later she spent much of her time in the picturesque village of Chawton in Hampshire and passed away whilst visiting the city of Winchester in Hampshire in 1817.
More on Jane Austen in South East England.
Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens was born in Portsmouth in Hampshire in 1812. However he is perhaps best known for his associations with the city of Rochester in Kent, where he lived for many years and used it as the setting for many of his most famous novels.
More on Charles Dickens in South East England.
Kenneth Grahame
A hundred or so years later, Kenneth Grahame arrived in South East England. Spending many of his years on the banks of the River Thames in Berkshire, he went on in create the much loved classic 'The Wind in the Willows'.
More on Kenneth Grahame in South East England.
More Literary Links
In Great Missenden in Buckinghamshire is the Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre, a fun place where you can learn about Dahl’s life and get involved in story telling sessions, dress up and decorate chocolate.
Rudyard Kipling, who wrote The Jungle Book and Just So Stories, lived for thirty years in the village of Burwash in East Sussex. Visit his home, Batemans in East Sussex, which is now a National Trust property.
