Marking 250 years since the birth of Jane Austen, this exhibition dives into her love of the seaside – both on the page and in life. From windswept walks to sea-bathing cures, Jane Austen: Down to the Sea explores the coastal worlds that shaped Austen’s imagination.

Costumes, postcards, paintings and parlour games recreate the atmosphere of Regency resorts. Among other highlights are a first edition of Persuasion on loan from her home in Chawton, a delicate pink feather cockade said to have belonged to Austen herself, and period guidebooks offering insights into the era’s seaside customs.