Halcyon Offices Welcome the Jane Austen Literary Tour to Thorncroft Manor

HF Holidays in Thorncroft Manor Reception

HF Holidays Visit Thorncroft Manor

Thorncroft Manor is believed to be the inspiration for the Woodhouses’ home in Emma

Readers of Jane Austen will know that her literary masterpiece Emma was inspired by the landscape and villages surrounding the Surrey Hills.

Today, Halcyon welcome a group from HF Holidays Leisure Activities, led by Alban O’Brien. The holiday makers are exploring the local area, alongside Halcyon’s Thorncroft Manor.

Mr O’Brien, Jane Austen Literary Tour Leader, comments,

“Thank you very much for your support for our guests on their Jane Austen holiday. They are always interested to find what many scholars believe is the original inspiration for the home of the Woodhouses, Hartfield, in Emma, and seeing the building in its setting always adds an extra dimension to their appreciation of the novel”

It is Poet Lady Sophia Burrell who connects Jane Austen to Surrey and Thorncroft Manor. Lady Sophia was a close friend of Austen’s cousin and sister in law, Eliza de Feuillide. Henry Boulton, Sophia’s brother in law, owned Thorncroft Manor during this period which has led many to believe that the Manor inspired Hartfield in Emma, the home of the heroine and Woodhouse family. Great Bookham is understood to be the original Highbury and one key moment in this well-loved novel takes place on Box Hill. The BBC also chose Loseley Park as the set location for Donwell Abbey for their 2009 dramatization of Emma.

Halcyon Sales and Marketing Manager, Bernice White adds,

“We are delighted to welcome HF Holidays to Thorncroft Manor today. Halcyon are extremely proud of our buildings’ heritage. We consider the responsibility that we hold in maintaining these buildings, which hold such historical and cultural significance, of upmost importance. It is lovely to see our buildings enjoyed, not only by HF Holidays, but also our clients who work from here daily.”

Find out more about HF Holidays here:
www.hfholidays.co.uk/holidays-and-tours/jane-austen-life-and-times/