Alton and its surrounding landscape is where Jane Austen walked, shopped, socialised and made notes for developing the characters who featured in her novels.  Jane Austen is loved and respected as a literary giant and as such it’s vital that we secure this landscape for the nation where she spent her most productive years - writing 6 of her novels.  Jane often came into Alton, walking from Chawton, less than two miles away.  Jane visited friends and relatives in Alton, the home of her surgeon apothecary.  She used to meet the coach at the Swan Hotel.  Her brother, Henry,  was a partner in a bank in the High Street.

Jane Austen's legacy is central to Alton and the many tourists who visit here, and we need to secure this heritage landscape for future generations to enjoy.