Winter is upon us, and nothing warms you up in the cold months like curling up in front of the fire with a good book. Whether you prefer Jane Eyre or Oliver Twist, we've picked our seven favourite authors' homes, so you can lose yourself in the houses that inspired the classics.

1. The Shakespeare Houses and Gardens, WarwickshireImage 1 of 7

2. Newstead Abbey Historic House and Gardens, NottinghamshireImage 2 of 7

3. Robert Burns Birthplace Museum, AyrshireImage 3 of 7

4. Dove Cottage and the Wordsworth Museum, CumbriaImage 4 of 7

5. Jane Austen's House Museum, HampshireImage 5 of 7

6. Charles Dickens Museum, LondonImage 6 of 7

7. Bronte Parsonage Museum, West YorkshireImage 7 of 7

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. The Shakespeare Houses and Gardens, Warwickshire
Free entry with National Art Pass

These five properties chart Shakespeare's life from birth to death, bringing together Elizabethan history and personal artefacts. From the farm on which his mother grew up to the home in which he died, the houses help illuminate both the man behind the plays and the world in which he lived.

2. Newstead Abbey Historic House and Gardens, Nottinghamshire
Free entry with National Art Pass

Lord Byron was the original celebrity writer, combining virtuoso writing skill with an intriguing personal life. His ancestral home of Newstead Abbey is both a grand country house and a museum to its past inhabitants, with Byron's magnificent bed, bath, desk and pistol among its private collection.

3. Robert Burns Birthplace Museum, Ayrshire
Standard entry charge applies

Set among ten acres of Alloway countryside encompassing several of the historic landmarks which inspired his work (including Alloway Auld Kirk and Brig o'Doon), the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum hosts a collection of almost 6,000 books, artworks and artefacts from the life of the greatest Scottish writer.

4. Dove Cottage and the Wordsworth Museum, Cumbria
Free entry with National Art Pass

Dove Cottage was William Wordsworth's home in the Lake District during his peak years as a poet, and the venue for his sister Dorothy's Grasmere Journals. This Grade I listed museum is home to many items from the Wordsworth household, including furniture, portraits and manuscripts.

5. Jane Austen's House Museum, Hampshire
50% off with National Art Pass

This 17th-century house was home to Jane Austen from 1809 until her death in 1817, a period in which she wrote some of English literature's most significant novels. With a collection including manuscript letters and music books transcribed in Austen's own hand, the museum is of international importance.

6. Charles Dickens Museum, London
Free entry with National Art Pass

Home of Charles Dickens between 1837 and 1839, today 48 Doughty Street hosts the world's most important collection of paintings, rare editions, manuscripts and other items relating to the life and work of the greatest Victorian novelist. Spread over four floors, it is Dickens's only surviving London house.

7. Bronte Parsonage Museum, West Yorkshire
Free entry with National Art Pass

A former residence of not one but three writers, this refurbished Georgian parsonage was once home to the Bronte sisters. With original furnishings, personal relics, paintings, books and manuscripts, the museum is a fitting monument to Britain's greatest literary family.