Chawton Park Woods

Chawton Park Wood sits just beyond the village of Chawton and within the South Downs National Park. Containing some mighty beach trees, ravishing Norway maples and more recently planted Whitebeam trees, the woods boast a beautiful setting for a peaceful walk along accessible paths. 

These picturesque woods are also the home to a hidden literary secret, for these were the woods in which Jane Austen took her regular strolls.

Edward Austen Knight, brother of the famous novelist, provided a house in Chawton for his mother and sisters, and it was here that Jane spent her most productive literary years. It was from this red brick house that the tales which would so dazzle the world emerged, and from the local surroundings that Austen would draw much of her inspiration and ideas, including the Chawton Park Woods.

Forestry update

If you’re visiting Chawton Park Wood during October and November please be aware that our contractors will be removing some of the conifer trees here to start the journey of restoring this area to a broadleaf woodland.

Felling some of the trees allows more room for others to grow and encourages the wildlife and habitats beneath to thrive. Selectively removing some of the trees is known as ‘thinning’.

Although the area will remain open during the felling operations, please pay attention to safety signs. Some paths will be temporarily closed to allow access for the machinery.

To keep everybody safe we will have to temporarily close the car park, the exact date for the closure is yet to be confirmed. We’ll re-open the car park once tree felling close to the car park has finished. The works will be carried out as safely and as quickly as possible in order to keep disruption at a minimum.