‘Austen and Turner: A Country House Encounter’ at Harewood House

Celebrating 250 years since their births, Harewood House brings together Jane Austen and JMW Turner to explore the social and cultural life of the British country house and commissions contemporary artist Lela Harris and poet Rommi Smith to respond to their creative legacies

Harewood House Trust is marking 250 years of novelist Jane Austen (1775-1817) and painter Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775-1851) with the exhibition ‘Austen and Turner: A Country House Encounter’. Two contemporary award-winning creatives have been commissioned to reflect on Austen and Turner’s legacies in response to artworks, manuscripts and historical objects that bring Austen and Turner together for the first time. Visual artist Lela Harris will produce a new work inspired by the literary world of Jane Austen, and poet and performer Rommi Smith becomes Harewood’s Writer in Residence, reflecting and responding to the themes of the exhibition through poetic form. Austen and Turner is a significant collaborative exhibition and research project between Harewood House Trust and the Centre for Eighteenth Century Studies at the University of York, with advice from independent curatorial consultant, Jade Foster.

Contemporary Commissions

Lela Harris is a painter based in the Lake District, most known for her portraits uncovering the stories of those often overlooked and marginalised by history, her portraits are an exploration of identity and belonging. Harris is responding to Jane Austen’s final unfinished novel, Sanditon. When the exhibition opens, Harris will show a selection of her exploratory collages for the commission, looking at how Austen’s characters might have explored Harewood House. Using found 19th-century photography, new and vintage postcards from Harewood, Harris will share her artistic and research process. The final painting will be unveiled in the Spanish Library at Harewood in the summer.

Lela Harris said: “I love country houses and sometimes like to imagine that I’m a time-travelling artist, exploring, researching and being immersed in their collections and archives. I’m enjoying peeping behind the curtains of Harewood, exploring the often overlooked histories of the people who shaped the house and its objects. It’s a unique opportunity to examine the house’s historical links to colonialism and how these connections shape our experience of Harewood today.

I’m an admirer of Turner’s landscapes and I have been surprised and delighted by his figurative watercolours, shown in this new exhibition, they provide a fascinating insight into how he makes sense of the people he’s met and their surroundings. I am also a huge Austen fan, having read all the novels in my teenage years, so I’m excited to learn more about her as a person, writer and activist by delving deeper into her unfinished novel ‘Sanditon’. It’s a real privilege for me to get to know these groundbreaking artists through this exhibition and commission at Harewood House.”

Rommi Smith is a multi-award-winning poet, playwright, theatre-maker, librettist, broadcaster and academic. Smith will be spending time at Harewood House as Writer in Residence researching and responding to the works of Austen and Turner. Smith will be experimenting with poetic form and composition tailored to the aesthetics and thematics of the exhibition. She will co-curate and a creative, generative and collaborative workshop space where audiences can engage and respond to the exhibition through writing and performance. For the exhibition, Smith is working with Thin Ice Press at the University of York, to create prints of her work, written during the residency and host a cumulative performance of original work produced in collaboration with composer Christella Litras.

Rommi Smith said: “Leeds is my home. I have lived and worked in Leeds for over thirty years. I am thrilled to be Writer in Residence for Harewood House, specifically for the Austen and Turner exhibition. The exhibition begins with a provocation: ‘what if…’ and invites us to consider the ‘conversation’ between Jane Austen and JMW Turner, as creatives living within each other’s temporality. As much as the exhibition is one of exhibits, it is one of voices. As a poet and theatre-maker, I am fascinated by voices and what they have to say. And as an archival researcher, I am interested by ghosts – the voices of the past and how they speak to us in the present tense.

History matters and deep, honest conversations about history matter. During my residency I’ll be looking at Austen’s novels ‘Mansfield Park’ and ‘Sanditon’ – which features Miss Lambe, a wealthy heiress from the Caribbean. Austen’s exploration of English etiquette and what it reveals is a source of fascination. I meet JMW Turner’s work via his apocalyptic painting ‘The Slave Ship’ and M. NourbeSe Philip’s ‘Zong!’, a stunning poetry cycle, in part, inspired by this painting. I love working as a creative interlocutor of archives, they are alive with voices and stories, and I am looking forward to listening to those voices and discovering those stories and writing in response to them at Harewood.”

Objects on loan

Austen’s and Turner’s work will be represented by a series of major loaned works from public and private collections, some never before exhibited outside of the southeast of England. Among loans from Tate is Turner’s North of England sketchbook, which he used to record views of the Harewood estate. Turner developed his interest in landscape at Harewood and also began to push the technical boundaries of watercolour as a medium. Turner’s hand-made travelling watercolour paint set is loaned from the Royal Academy of Arts, in addition to the artist’s lesser-known paintings depicting country house interiors and its people. Showing alongside are Harewood’s important collection of early country house landscapes by Turner, painted following his invitation to the estate by the Lascelles family in 1797.

Austen’s life and literary works are represented by rarely shown handwritten manuscripts and published works. On loan from the British Library and Jane Austen’s House Museum are letters written by Austen to her sister, Cassandra. Further works belonging to family members include an Austen family music manuscript, and a naval sketchbook and journal belonging to two of her elder brothers, Admiral Sir Francis Austen and Rear Admiral Charles Austen.

Austen’s creative process is revealed by the handwritten manuscript of her final novel, Sanditon. Remaining unfinished at her death in 1817, Sanditon is on loan from King’s College Cambridge, and will be shown alongside first editions of earlier works from different collections, including Pride & Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility and Mansfield Park. The loans to Austen and Turner are supported by Arts Council England and the Weston Loan Programme with Art Fund. Created by the Garfield Weston Foundation and Art Fund, the Weston Loan Programme is the first ever UK-wide funding scheme to enable regional museums to borrow works of art and artefacts from national collections.

Austen and Turner’s world is brought to life through Regency period costume and ephemera, selected from Harewood’s collection and on loan from museums throughout the UK. This includes clothing and shoes that would have been essential for exploring the country house landscape in the period and the type of gadgets, such as Claude glasses and pocket telescopes, that became popular amid a growing domestic tourist market in search of the picturesque.

The exhibition also explores Austen’s and Turner’s relationship to the country house within its global context. Rare depictions of the Lascelles family’s Caribbean plantations will be loaned
from Royal Museums Greenwich and the British Library. Austen herself was aware of the Lascelles family and their connections to transatlantic slavery, having used their name for a peripheral character in Mansfield Park, a novel rooted in themes of Empire.

Rebecca Burton, Curator and Archivist, Harewood House Trust said: “We’re bringing together an extraordinary series of loaned works by both Austen and Turner, some of which have never been displayed before in the North of England. Presented alongside Harewood’s impressive collection of Turner paintings, these artworks, objects and manuscripts will not only bring Austen and Turner’s world to life but also help us to tell new and surprising narratives around these beloved cultural figures.

It is incredible to have visual artist, Lela Harris, and the renowned writer and performer, Rommi Smith, whose new commissions will continue Austen’s and Turner’s tradition of creative innovation, working with us at Harewood. Both artist and writer have a history of working with historic house collections to engage with their complex histories and bring hidden narratives to the fore. We are excited to see how their encounter with Austen’s and Turner’s work creates fresh perspectives on their enduring creative legacies.

Professor Chloe Wigston Smith, Director of the Centre for Eighteenth Century Studies, said: “The country house is an ideal setting in which to explore this fascinating and fraught period of history, literature and art. There are no better guides than Austen and Turner to understand the cultural and creative history of the country house, what it meant in their time, and what it can mean in ours. The Centre for Eighteenth Century Studies is thrilled to be co-curating this exhibition, which is an extraordinary opportunity for visitors to take in the full experience of the Regency world through the visual, textual and material. Austen and Turner brought a fresh and modern perspective to the country house and this exhibition explores that legacy in rich and exciting ways.”

Harewood will present a Regency season throughout the year to accompany the exhibition, including Pride and Prejudice outdoor theatre, an extravagant Regency Ball, candlelit concert and themed afternoon teas. Turner-inspired artist-led painting workshops will be held in the ‘Capability’ Brown landscape, including sessions pitched for GCSE art students, as well as ‘Tiny Turner’ woodland activities for toddlers and ‘Sensory and Sensibility’ baby classes.

‘Austen and Turner: A Country House Encounter’ is at Harewood House from Friday 2 May to Sunday 19 October 2025.

Regency Reimagined Season Event listings

A year of workshops, concerts, lectures and children’s activities inspired by our exhibition Austen and Turner: A Country House Encounter

Austen and Turner: A Country House Encounter Fri 2 May–Sun 19 Oct In 1775, two icons of British culture were born into an era of huge social change. 250 years later, we celebrate the novelist Jane Austen and the landscape painter JMW Turner, in a groundbreaking new exhibition that brings together the work of author and artist for the first time, uncovering their shared interest in the social and cultural life of the British country house and its landscape. Explore the exhibition across the State Floor, and find the picture frames in Harewood’s grounds to see the landscape through Turner’s eyes. This exhibition is curated by Harewood House Trust in collaboration with The Centre for Eighteenth Century Studies at the University of York. It is made possible with a grant from the Weston Loan Programme with Art Fund, and supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.

Candlelit Regency: A timeless invitation with a twist Sat 3 May From £45
A night of Regency music by candelight in Harewood’s stunning Gallery. The Ebor Quartet will bring the sounds of Austen’s time to life, alongside reimagined popular songs, to create a night you’ll never forget.

Tiny Turners Woodland Workshop Tue 27 + Thu 29 May £8 Ages 4+ Get outdoors in the landscapes that inspired Turner! Make paintbrushes using natural materials, use fire to create charcoal and mix paint from special ingredients. Then use your handmade supplies to paint a masterpiece under the trees.

Pride and Prejudice Outdoor Theatre Sat 7 Jun From £20 With stunning period costume, timeless wit and a romantic original score, Chapterhouse Theatre Company’s Pride and Prejudice is a faithful telling of this iconic work, set against the stunning backdrop of Harewood House.

Paint Like Turner: Two Day Art Workshop Sat 21–Sun 22 Jun £120 Sketch and study where Turner himself painted, led by artist Luke Thompson. On day 1, work ‘en plein air’ in charcoal and paint to record a scene outside, then create a painting on day 2 taking inspiration from Turner’s techniques and innovative style.

Turner-inspired Workshop for GCSE Art & Design Sun 29 Jun + Sun 6 Jul £30 Led by an experienced art teacher, a two-part workshop inspired by the artwork of JMW Turner to inspire young people and develop a strong portfolio of art techniques in preparation for their exams.

Sensory and Sensibility Mon 14 Jul £12 (1 adult and 1 child) For under 4s Join Helen from Adventure Babies for a magical sensory experience inspired by Austen’s beloved novels, with interactive storytelling, sensory play and gentle music.

Regency Ball Fri 20 Sep £75 Step into the elegance of the past at our late summer Regency Ball, a night of grandeur, grace, and spirited dancing in Harewood’s beautiful Gallery. With live period music and guided dancing from Regency Rejigged, this costumed event promises to be a truly spectacular evening that will immerse you in times gone by.

Regency Reimagined Lectures

A series of expert talks inspired by our exhibition Adult £20, student £10

Turner in Six Paintings Thu 3 Oct Examine six very different aspects of Turner’s career with Professor Richard Johns, University of York and co-curator of the exhibition.

Winsor & Newton and the Palette of Turner Thu 9 Oct Stephanie Nebbia relates the history of the collaboration between illustrious art supplier Winsor & Newton and Turner, the different between pigments, dyes and lakes, and how that has influenced paints today.

Jane Austen, Her Writing and Craft Thu 16 Oct Professor Jennie Batchelor, University of York and a co-curator of the exhibition, gives a fascinating illustrated insight into Austen’s writing practice – where and how she wrote her innovative novels and her writing’s relationship with the other crafts in her life.

Austen and Turner Afternoon Tea – It is a truth universally acknowledged that there is no finer delight than taking tea at Harewood. Enjoy a refined selection of sandwiches, scones and cakes in our Billiards Room, with playful nods to Austen’s writing and Turner’s art. We recommend elevating your Afternoon Tea with a delicious glass of English sparkling wine by Nyetimber.

Family Fun Space Every day from 3 May Free Dress up the whole family in Regency finery and frocks, alongside a cosy reading corner and Austen and Turner inspired activities in our special family space Below Stairs.

Regency Play Terrace Every day from 3 May Free Outdoor games, colouring, activities and a photo moment with an Austen and Turner twist, on the Play Terrace next to the Courtyard.

Bags of Creativity From Sat 19 Jul Free (refundable £10 deposit) Pick up a bag full of drawing activities and creative writing prompts from Visitor Information, to get the whole family’s creativity flowing as you explore Harewood.

Visit their website for more details and to book.