CHAWTON House Library has received the prestigious Sandford Award for heritage education for the third time in a row.

The award is an independently-judged, quality-assured assessment of education programmes at heritage sites, museums and collections across Britain. Other winners this year include Blenheim Palace and Coventry Cathedral.

The award, which lasts for five years, was previously awarded to Chawton House Library in 2008 and 2012.

The library, which runs a successful schools programme in partnership with Jane Austen’s House Museum, has welcomed more than 1,000 school pupils through its doors on school trips over the last three years, as well as more than 700 students from universities.

Speaking about the award, the judges’ panel said: “Chawton House is a wonderful site to learn about Jane Austen and the social context in which she was writing. It can also offer a fantastic resource for students wanting to explore early women’s writing.

“It’s a place to literally step back in time while learning a regency dance and discovering fascinating insights into 18th Century women’s lives and conventions.

“It’s also a place to take a tantalising glimpse in the old library of some of the authentic treasures of famous female writers.”

As well as inside, it was acknowledged that the library also welcomes school groups to explore its grounds, led by the garden manager, who runs primary school visits on the theme of ‘where does our food come from?’, which look at the historical context of how large estates were self-sufficient in the past and how the land supported this.

Chawton House also enjoys a close relationship with nearby Chawton Primary School, whose pupils visit on World Book Day and regularly throughout the year.

Speaking about the education programme, Jane Lillystone, Chawton House Library’s director of fundraising, said: “This award is testament to the hard work and dedication of our staff in delivering such well-respected education work with schools.

“As part of our development project to Reimagine Jane Austen’s Great House, we are aiming to broaden our appeal further and open up opportunities for wider engagement – reaching out to, and benefiting audiences and participants of all ages and backgrounds, and we’re delighted that this demonstrates such a firm foundation from which we can grow.”