Needles, Notions, and Nostalgia!

If you’ve ever longed to step into a Jane Austen novel, not particularly the stifling and loud ballrooms, but live in the quieter, everyday moments that would have made life— this is your invitation.

In a sun-dappled parlour, in between the delicate clatter of teacups, and gentle conversation drifting through the room, with a half-trimmed bonnet ribbon lying in your lap, you can sit as everyone around sews, stitches, and shares stories, for the sheer pleasure of it all, just as one might have done in her novel, should a caller have arrived on a leisurely afternoon.

Borrowed from everyday elegance in Austen’s world- afternoons filled with embroidery, maybe some loopy stitches but heartwarming conversations, in honour of 250 years of Jane Austen, on the 15th of September, 2025, we are hosting an exclusive social sitting at one of the city’s loveliest addresses!

A Stitch, A Story, A Spot of Tea

At The Roseate Villa Bath, hospitality is always directed at giving you a feeling of arriving somewhere gracious and quietly indulgent. Tucked just off the grandeur of Great Pulteney Street, and framed by the gentle greenery of Henrietta Park, the Villa offers a deeply personal experience of Bath.

If you are looking forward to being a part of things to do in Bath as the city celebrates Jane Austen, we invite you to join us in something delightful.

Sew Chatty is especially being curated to be an unhurried, social sitting, where guests may bring their own sewing, embroidery, bonnet-trimming, and settle in for an hour or two of gentle conversation, laughter and companionable craft, the kind that might have taken place in a well-appointed parlour, the scent of scones in the air, and a fresh pot of tea warming on the tray.

A Tea Worth Sitting For

To add to the experience, guests are warmly invited to stay on for our signature Afternoon Tea, one of Bath’s best and most cherished indulgences, a gently luxurious experience that combines heritage and hospitality in equal measure.

You can choose from a refined selection of finger sandwiches layered on home-baked bread— goat cheese with red onion marmalade, smoked salmon lifted by beetroot and horseradish chutney, roast chicken paired with red pepper and pesto, and for the more adventurous palate, pulled pork balanced with hoisin sauce or grilled aubergine with hummus and spinach.

Warm scones, both plain and studded with fruit, arrive fresh from the oven, ready to be dressed with clotted cream and homemade strawberry jam. And just as every story needs a sweet ending, so too does our tea, with a rotating selection of exquisite cakes, each lovingly crafted by our in-house baker.

We also offer the Jane Austen Blend, a delicate trio of 18th-century Chinese teas curated by the Gillards of Bath in homage to the author herself—best served without milk, and always without hurry.

As Austen once declared, “But indeed I would rather have nothing but tea,” but for those celebrating, a chilled glass of Prosecco makes the afternoon sparkle just so!

For the Love of Jane Austen

This year marks a rare and remarkable milestone — 250 years since the birth of Jane Austen, whose wit and wisdom still echo across the world and as the city comes alive with costume walks, living history, and literary homage, Sew Chatty offers a quiet celebration of the rhythms that once filled parlours and drawing rooms. It’s a chance to take part, and not perform — to sew, sip, and simply savour.

It’s not a workshop, and there’s nothing to complete. The only requirement is a love for the little things: needle and thread, good company, and perhaps, a second scone.

A Note to Our Guests

Venue: The Roseate Villa, Henrietta Road, Bath BA2 6LX
Time: 12 noon | Duration: approx. 2 hours
Date : 15th of September, 2025
Free to attend – reservations essential

Seats are limited, as they might have been in any well-loved parlour—so we encourage early booking.