Best Sites To See For Brit Lit Fans

If you are (or were) a Brit Lit student or just a Brit Lit fan, you’ll love these top literary sites to see when you pay a visit to the birthplace of your favorite works.

Why not start with the home of the Bard himself? Stratford-upon-Avon is visited by thousands of literary buffs each year. The most popular spot is Shakespeare’s birthplace, a preserved house inhabited by his descendants until the 1800s.

Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-Upon-Avon © Arenaphotouk | Dreamstime

Charles Dickens’s home is now a museum dedicated to his work. The Charles Dickens Museum in London offers special workshops and exhibits, as well as a garden café.

Another home-turned-museum, the Bronte Parsonage Museum in West Yorkshire is run by the Bronte Society. In addition to tours, you’ll also find an extensive research library filled with first and early editions of Bronte letters and manuscripts.

Bronte Parsonage Museum, West Yorkshire © Steve Morris | Dreamstime

In East Sussex, you can visit Monk’s House, the country home of Virginia Woolf. This attraction is only open in the summer, but is preserved just as it was at the time of her husband’s death in 1969. The cottage is surrounded by maintained gardens filled with orchards, lawns and ponds.

The Jane Austen House and Museum displays all things Austen, celebrating her many popular works. Guests will find exhibits on everything from costumes worn in film adaptions of the novels to handcrafts created by Austen herself. There are also plenty of activities to sign up for, including workshops on lacemaking, readings and more.