One of the UK's most famous author's lived in Southampton from 1807-1809 but this aspect of her life is almost never told. This project is intended to petition Southampton City Council to recognise the contribution of Jane Austen to literature and promote the City of Southampton by including a permanent exhibition at the Tudor House Museum which is no more than a stone's throw from where she once lived!
A Jane Austen exhibition would;
1. Attract more tourists to the city.
2. Enhance the reputation of the city by highlighting a significant
aspect of Southampton's heritage.
3. Provide a significant role model, especially for girls.
4. Stimulate interest, for all, in cultural as well as historical
aspects of the city.
5. Promote understanding and knowledge of the past as well as the
work of Jane Austen.
6. Show the public that private companies involved in the present
day development of the city centre also value Southampton's
heritage.
The project would involve (1) moving the Crosshouses from the Industrial Estate where it now stands to the Tudor House grounds and (2) installing the working Spa Period Fountain, currently in storage, in the gardens. It is hoped that the present (3) eighteenth century room can also be easily transformed to exhibit artefacts from the museum collection that belonged to Jane Austen or from the period she lived in Southampton.
Because of the existing museum collection which is the subject
of a Freedom of Information Request (FOIR) and the private interest
already shown in helping with the project, it is envisaged that the
benefits of the project to the citizens of Southampton would far
outweigh any costs!
This ePetition ran from 11/05/2016 to 10/01/2017 and has now finished.
13 people signed this ePetition.