The country house where Jane Austen attended balls and which she mentioned in her letters must be demolished by the new owners, despite objections from neighbors and conservationists.
Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council have approved plans to demolish Ashe Park House, Hampshire, Hampshire and replace it with a 'traditional country house' in the Queen Anne style.
Owners Shuk Ting Sharon Leung and Gillian Sin Hang Ho bought the 232 -hectare estate in October 2022 for £ 17 million and applied to break it down because it was 'tired and unheated'.
But 20 locals objected to the proposal because of the historical connections. The author of Pride and Prejudice was born in the village of Steventton, a mile distance, in 1775, a number of times visiting the house with seven bedrooms.
Neighbor Caroline Sykes, 67, said: 'It's such a shame. It is not a listed house that does not work to his advantage, but it has historical importance. '
And the charity Save Groot -Britain's Heritage (Save) complained that “the building is an important heritage figure for Hampshire and his demolition would cause unjustified damage.”
However, consultants approved the demolition.
There are plans to demolish Ashe Park in Hampshire near Basingstoke that can be seen in an air view
Jennifer Ehle can be seen in the 1995 version of Jane Austen's in Pride and Prejudice
Neighbor Caroline Sykes can be seen outside her house in Basingstoke
The 'perfect' estate is described as 'idyllic', but the owners think it is 'tired' and 'unattended'
The agenda stated: 'Much of the house we see today was reconstructed in the early to the mid -20th century and again in the 21st century. . . The current Ashe Park was most likely not visited by Austen. '
Save said: 'This is a beautiful house with a characterful history.
'There are fascinating associations with Jane Austen and also a captain in the accusation of the light brigade that rebuilt the house when he returned to Hampshire after the Crimean War. . . These shocking demolition plans would destroy a charming building and erase that history. '
