A day in Charles Dickens' House
February 28th 2008 05:57
Doughty Street is wide, treeless and somewhat desolate. It is lined with tall, 19th century terraced houses - grand homes, no doubt, in a better past, but now chopped up into poky flats and modest offices. For Sale and For Lease signs in curtainless, fluorescent-lit windows and narrow front gardens speak of a changing present and hint at an uncertain future.
The Dickens House and Museum, at number 48 Doughty Street was rescued from demolition by the Dickens Fellowship in 1922. It is blessedly intact and beautifully preserved, and restored, true to both its Georgian style and its original elgance as Dickens’ home. Thick lace curtains hang at its windows and boxed geraniums bloom on their sills. Only a discreet plaque on the plain façade tells us that this is the Charles Dickens Museum. The front door is closed but a small sign welcomes visitors and invites them to ring the bell and enter.
Dickens moved to this house in 1837, at the age of twenty-five, soon after his marriage to Catherine Hogarth and just as he was beginning to taste his first success as a writer. The two years he spent here were full. He completed Pickwick Papers, wrote Oliver Twist, and Nicholas Nickleby and began Barnaby Rudge. His first two children were born here and his sister-in-law, Mary, who was the inspiration for many of his heroines, including Little Nell of The Old Curiousity Shop, died here. 48 Doughty Street was also the scene of frequent literary dinner parties.
The four floors of the Dickens House include authentic Victorian rooms, like the bedroom, the drawing room and the laundry, as well as a model of the Dingley Dell kitchen from the Pickwick papers. There is a beautiful collection of original furniture, including the rosewood drawing room sideboard and table and the velvet covered desk, designed by Dickens himself, which accompanied him on all his reading tours. The author’s original manuscripts, personal papers, signed letters and the annotated books used for his dramatic productions are on display. One of the most poignant items here is the grille from Marshalsea Prison, where Dickens’ family was sentenced to a year’s incarceration for debt. Another is a cardboard plaque which bears a reflection from the author on the “sentence” he served concurrently, working in a blacking, or ink, factory.
The Museum houses a library, which includes many books used by Dickens himself. There are also reading and research rooms.
There were only two three people at the Charles Dickens House the day I visited. I wandered from floor to floor and from room to room, in relative solitude, lost among the treasures and steeped in the atmosphere of the place. I gazed down at the garden and browsed in the library. I walked in Mr Dickens world.
The Charles Dickens House is well worth a visit, particularly for those who know and love his work. But even for those who don’t, this house is alive with great stories and full of beautiful Victorian treasures. The Charles Dickens House is open from Monday to Saturday, from 10a.m. to 5p.m. Entry is 3.50, 2.50 or 1.50 pounds.
Charles Dickens' House, 48 Doughty Street
The Dickens House and Museum, at number 48 Doughty Street was rescued from demolition by the Dickens Fellowship in 1922. It is blessedly intact and beautifully preserved, and restored, true to both its Georgian style and its original elgance as Dickens’ home. Thick lace curtains hang at its windows and boxed geraniums bloom on their sills. Only a discreet plaque on the plain façade tells us that this is the Charles Dickens Museum. The front door is closed but a small sign welcomes visitors and invites them to ring the bell and enter.
Dickens moved to this house in 1837, at the age of twenty-five, soon after his marriage to Catherine Hogarth and just as he was beginning to taste his first success as a writer. The two years he spent here were full. He completed Pickwick Papers, wrote Oliver Twist, and Nicholas Nickleby and began Barnaby Rudge. His first two children were born here and his sister-in-law, Mary, who was the inspiration for many of his heroines, including Little Nell of The Old Curiousity Shop, died here. 48 Doughty Street was also the scene of frequent literary dinner parties.
The drawing room
The four floors of the Dickens House include authentic Victorian rooms, like the bedroom, the drawing room and the laundry, as well as a model of the Dingley Dell kitchen from the Pickwick papers. There is a beautiful collection of original furniture, including the rosewood drawing room sideboard and table and the velvet covered desk, designed by Dickens himself, which accompanied him on all his reading tours. The author’s original manuscripts, personal papers, signed letters and the annotated books used for his dramatic productions are on display. One of the most poignant items here is the grille from Marshalsea Prison, where Dickens’ family was sentenced to a year’s incarceration for debt. Another is a cardboard plaque which bears a reflection from the author on the “sentence” he served concurrently, working in a blacking, or ink, factory.
Charles Dickens' reflection on his sentence to the blacking factory
The Museum houses a library, which includes many books used by Dickens himself. There are also reading and research rooms.
The library and reading room
There were only two three people at the Charles Dickens House the day I visited. I wandered from floor to floor and from room to room, in relative solitude, lost among the treasures and steeped in the atmosphere of the place. I gazed down at the garden and browsed in the library. I walked in Mr Dickens world.
The garden
The Charles Dickens House is well worth a visit, particularly for those who know and love his work. But even for those who don’t, this house is alive with great stories and full of beautiful Victorian treasures. The Charles Dickens House is open from Monday to Saturday, from 10a.m. to 5p.m. Entry is 3.50, 2.50 or 1.50 pounds.
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