Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Central Asia yurt night stars
Uzbekistan • 15 days, 14 nights
Central Asia Road Trip: Backroads & Bazaars
from
Caucasus - Geghard Monastery, Armenia
Armenia • 15 days, 14 nights
Caucasus Road Trip: Azerbaijan, Georgia & Armenia
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Casa Cruz’s alebrijes for sale.
Casa Cruz
Midas Tümülüsü (Tumulus MM)
The Devil's Column
Weightlifting Hall of Fame
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The khao soi at Gedhawa comes with a rich, coconutty broth.
Gedhawa
At Nai Mong Hoi Thod, the oyster omelet is worth waiting for.
Nai Mong Hoi Thod
In this deceptively simple dish, top-quality ingredients are paramount.
Kor Panich
Customize your bowl with sliced pork, pork balls, fish cake, and offal.
Rung Rueang
Pasties are an Upper Michigan tradition dating back to mining days.
Lehto’s Pasties
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Haleakalā National Park’s summit region, shrouded in the pre-dawn fog.
Beware the Legends Behind These National Park Souvenirs
For Aguilar-Carrasco, nature is a powerful reminder of the interconnectedness of all life.
How Can National Parks Be Made Accessible to All? AO Wants to Know.
Podcast: Finding ‘The Great Gatsby’ in Louisville
Here’s which treats you can safely lug home without risking a fine.
Dear Atlas: What International Food Can I Legally Bring Into the U.S.?

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United Kingdom England Steventon Jane Austen's Telephone Box
AO Edited

Jane Austen's Telephone Box

The world's smallest Austen museum is inside an unassuming phone booth.

Steventon, England

Added By
Alison Pinto
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Jane Austen’s name is emblazoned at the top of the telephone box.   5beasts / Atlas Obscura User
The micro museum. Information about Austen’s association with her birth place.   5beasts / Atlas Obscura User
Austen inspired decoration inside the telephone box   5beasts / Atlas Obscura User
The village’s name “Steventon” can also be seen.   5beasts / Atlas Obscura User
The book exchange   5beasts / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

What has this iconic red telephone box to do with Basingstoke's most famous daughter? Jane Austen, the famous author responsible for writing Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Emma, Northanger Abbey, Persuasion, and Mansfield Park, may have stayed in Bath, lived in Chawton, and died in Winchester, but Steventon, a small village several miles to the west of Basingstoke, was where she was born, and where she spent some of the happiest years of her life.  This little village was where her father was rector of St. Nicholas' church for 44 years, before retiring to Bath for his health, taking his wife and unmarried daughters with him.

Sadly, nothing remains of the rectory in which the family lived, as it was demolished in 1824. The tiny church of St. Nicholas is worth a look, as the Austen name can be seen written across the monuments affixed to its walls. However, there is nothing else to mark the fact that this is the birthplace of Jane Austen.

As such, the village converted an old telephone box into a micro-library and information center. There is a small notice board with information about Austen's life in Steventon, and an equally small bookcase containing books that can be exchanged. The telephone box itself is iconic. Known as a K6 kiosk, around 60,000 of these kinds of telephone boxes were installed throughout England between 1936 and 1968. With the advent of mobile and household telephones, the need for public call boxes diminished, and they were removed or decommissioned. Some communities took them on as small community buildings, which is precisely what has happened to the Steventon telephone box, which is now possibly the world's smallest Austen museum.

Related Tags

Authors Books Repositories Of Knowledge Libraries Telephones Literature

Know Before You Go

Parking is limited at the side of the road. Please do not park obscuring the entrances to drive ways.  Steventon Church is a short walk or drive away, and worth a visit. There is more parking at the church, which is located at St. Nicholas Church, Steventon, Basingstoke RG25 3BE

Please bring a book or two to exchange, and take away a book in return.  The one thing that is asked though is that the telephone box is kept tidy to avoid it becoming too cluttered with books! Please don't leave books if there is no space on the shelves.

Community Contributors

Added By

5beasts

Published

February 21, 2023

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://www.basingstokegazette.co.uk/news/19106801.story-converted-phone-boxes-around-basingstoke/
Jane Austen's Telephone Box
Steventon Rd
Steventon, England, RG25 3BA
United Kingdom
51.230312, -1.218794
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Micheldever Station Red Wheel

Micheldever Station, England

miles away

Whitchurch Silk Mill

Whitchurch, England

miles away

The Baverstock Arms

Basingstoke, England

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of England

England

United Kingdom

Places 2,199
Stories 144

Nearby Places

Micheldever Station Red Wheel

Micheldever Station, England

miles away

Whitchurch Silk Mill

Whitchurch, England

miles away

The Baverstock Arms

Basingstoke, England

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of England

England

United Kingdom

Places 2,199
Stories 144

Related Places

  • One of Roth’s typewriters is on display here.

    Newark, New Jersey

    Philip Roth Personal Library

    View roughly 7,000 books amassed over decades by the author and avid bibliophile.

  • Main Gallery of RLS Museum

    St. Helena, California

    Robert Louis Stevenson Museum

    This California museum is home to one of the largest collections related to the 'Treasure Island' author.

  • View into the reading room.

    Austin, Texas

    The Harry Ransom Center

    The upstairs reading room is packed with millions of rare books, literary manuscripts, and historical treasures.

  • The Grolier Club

    New York, New York

    The Grolier Club

    The oldest bibliophilia club in America, with exhibitions on historic books and graphic arts.

  • Gutenberg Bible on display at the Library of Congress.

    Washington, D.C.

    Library Of Congress Gutenberg Bible

    One of the three perfect vellum copies of this historic book known to exist is on display in a specially-designed case.

  • Herndon Fortnightly Club

    Herndon, Virginia

    Herndon Fortnightly Club

    In 1889, a small group of women began meeting to discuss literature, art, and other topics. Their every-other-week salon grew into a lending library that still exists today.

  • The Book of Aneirin

    Aberystwyth, Wales

    The Ancient Books of Wales

    Welsh literary history is preserved in the delicate pages of these medieval manuscripts.

  • Suzzallo Library Reading Room

    Seattle, Washington

    Suzzallo Library Reading Room

    With its vaulted ceiling and gilded details, this University of Washington library would feel right at home inside an old palace.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.