The novels of Charles Dickens had a huge impact throughout the English-speaking world and beyond, remaining popular today, 125 years after the last of them was written.
Many of these have been reimagined in film and theatre; it is hard to picture Dickens himself ever thinking a new version of A Christmas Carol could involve Kermit the Frog. But this testifies to the enduring appeal of his stories.
Although Dickens began his life in the naval city of Portsmouth and ended it in Kent, he spent much of his life in London, and several of his novels are set there.
The picture he painted was of a grim place where life for many was very hard and bleak, with these themes present not just in his novels but also in his wider writings as a journalist and social commentator.
When Did Charles Dickens Write His Novels?
Penned between 1837 and 1870, almost all of Dickens’ novels and novellas were set, or partly set, in London (the exception is Hard Times). These include the following:
· Oliver Twist
· A Christmas Carol
· Great Expectations
· Bleak House
· David Copperfield
· A Tale of Two Cities
Some private tours of London might show you one or two sites connected with Dickens, but a concentrated trip can reveal many more, including some off the beaten path.
What Are The Most Important Dickens Sites In London?
There are some obvious sites to see. The Charles Dickens Museum on Doughty Street in central London does not just contain memorabilia and information; it was at this very house that he lived and wrote some of his greatest works, like Oliver Twist and The Pickwick Papers. You can see the very desk that he sat at when he did so.
You can also see where he had his novels published, with the Plume Wine Bar in Covent Garden occupying part of the publishing house and private apartments that the author lived in from 1859 to 1870. There is a blue plaque outside to highlight this.
Other central London sites include the Old Curiosity Shop in Holborn, which was once a property owned by Dickens and gifted to one of his mistresses, showing there is a bit more to the author’s life than you might have been aware of. This was the inspiration for the novel of the same name.
There are also grand buildings that get a mention in Dickens’ books, such as the Mansion House in the City of London, which is the residence of the Lord Mayor of London and was referenced in a Christmas Carol.
Needless to say, some places have changed a lot, such as Seven Dials, now full of wine bars and theatres, but a place notorious for prostitution in Dickens’ time, when he depicted its mean streets in Sketches by Boz. Clerkenwell is also much changed from the grim location where Fagin was based in Oliver Twist.
Where Did The Villain Bill Sikes Meet His End?
However, there are also a few places that are somewhat off the beaten track. These are not former residences turned into museums or grand buildings, but are of interest nonetheless.
For example, there is the Dickens Estate in Bermondsey, which was built in the 1930s on the site of an old notorious Victorian slum called Jacob’s Island. In Oliver Twist, this was where the villainous Bill Sikes met his end and there is a blue plaque to mark the location.
Elsewhere, there are all sorts of details to see. For example, on a visit to Soho Square, one might see a golden arm. This was mentioned in A Tale of Two Cities, where the character Dr Manette lives.
Other fictional residences of characters include Montague Place in Russell Square, where Mr Perker (The Pickwick Papers) lives, and 24 Mews Street by Grosvenor Square, where the wonderfully-named Mr Tite Barnacle lives in Hard Times.
Where Else In London Did Dickens Reference?
Some well-known places in London are referenced in passing in various scenes in the books. For instance, St James’s Park includes incidents in Martin Chuzzlewitt, The Old Curiosity Shop and Nicholas Nickleby, while Westminster Bridge appears in David Copperfield, Nicholas Nickleby and Barnaby Rudge.
Anyone reading Dickens novels will read of many such places across London, listing famous streets and districts that you may see on a trip to the city.
Some of these, being passing references and one-off incidents, are less significant than major plot moments like the death of Sikes or significant locations like the Mansion House.
Put together, they build up a picture of a London that has much changed, but has many echoes of those days as well. To see where he lived is a good start, but there is so much more to Dickens’ London than that.
