Writers in Sussex: Jane Austen’s Worthing: The Real Sanditon?

In this series exploring writers in Sussex, we trace how the county - its towns, landscapes and shifting coastlines - has left its mark on some of the greatest literary imaginations. For some, Sussex was home for decades; for others, it was the site of a passing visit that nonetheless lingered in the mind and shaped their work.

In late 1805, a 29-year-old Jane Austen – not yet a published novelist – spent several weeks in the seaside town of Worthing, Sussex. She was joined by her mother, her sister Cassandra and her close friend Martha Lloyd.

Their residence during this stay was Stanford’s Cottage on Warwick Street, a modest house named after local tailor and piano dealer Edward Stanford. It is now a Pizza Express!

From Seaside Visit to Literary Setting

While this stay might seem like a footnote in Austen’s life, it likely provided the inspiration for her final, unfinished novel: Sanditon, written in 1817. The novel is set in a small coastal town undergoing a transformation into a fashionable seaside resort – a story that strongly echoes the Worthing Jane Austen knew in 1805.

So What Makes Worthing the Real Sanditon?

1. The Seaside Health Craze

In the early 19th century, doctors were enthusiastically recommending sea-bathing and fresh air as cures for everything from melancholy to indigestion. Coastal villages like Worthing, Sidmouth and Teignmouth began to develop rapidly to meet demand from wealthy invalids and holidaymakers.

Sanditon captures this trend perfectly, satirising both the health fads and the people profiting from them.

2. Real Estate Fever

In Sanditon, the character Tom Parker is obsessed with developing his town into the next big resort. This mirrors the ambitions of Edward Ogle, the real-life developer who helped shape Worthing and who became acquainted with Austen during her stay.

3. Satirical Social Commentary

As always, Austen brought a sharp eye and wit to the project. Sanditon is not just about seaside air and speculative building – it's a critique of social climbing, commercialisation and the Regency obsession with health and fashion.

Read More in Jane Austen’s Worthing: The Real Sanditon

For a deeper exploration of the story behind the story, Antony Edmonds' Jane Austen’s Worthing: The Real Sanditon (Hardcover, 15 September 2013) provides detailed insight.

This richly illustrated and thoroughly researched book:

• Explores Jane Austen’s time in Worthing

• Introduces real-life inspirations like Edward Ogle and John Mackoull, a paranoid ex-criminal

• Profiles notable visitors including Byron, Shelley and Colonel Berkeley

• Includes 75 illustrations, over a third in colour

It’s both a biography of a town and a fascinating window into Austen’s creative world.

In Summary

While Sanditon is a fictional town, it was likely inspired most directly by Worthing, where Jane Austen spent several observant seaside weeks. It is also a literary blend, drawing on broader trends, other coastal towns and Austen’s distinctive social satire.

For Jane Austen fans, history lovers or anyone passing through Sussex, Worthing has a quietly fascinating place in literary history – one that might just deserve a little more attention.