Happy Birthday Charles Dickens!
Charles Dickens would have been 200 years old today so we're celebrating the occasion by retracing the steps of England’s most famous novelist.
Dickens spent many a summer here at his "home from home" where he could be found "sea bathing" on the beach or scribbling ideas on scraps of paper at his holiday home of Fort House, now known as Bleak House, a humble mansion perched atop white cliffs that look out on the blissful Kent coast.
This is where Dickens finished his 1850 novel David Copperfield. To find out more about what Dickens got up to in Broadstairs, join local expert Peter Shaw for a walking tour. Tours leave a spot near Dickens House on the seafront every Saturday at 2pm, weather permitting.
Dickens' only surviving home in London sits on 48 Doughty Street in Bloomsbury. It was here that some of his best-loved novels where penned, including Oliver Twist and Nicholas Nickleby. Now a museum dedicated to keeping the genius of Dickens alive for children and adults alike, it's home to over 100,000 items including manuscripts, rare editions, paintings and personal items.
After spending the morning becoming a Dickens-quoting buff, book yourself on a guided tour with London Walks and discover the many nooks and crannies of London that heavily influenced Dickens' work.
The historic maritime city of Portsmouth is where the tale of England's most famous author, journalist and social commentator combined began. The house Dickens was born in – 1 Mile End Terrace – still stands proudly with its old-fashioned gas lamp outside, and now in addition, a blue plaque stuck between the neatly framed windows.
Head inside and you'll get a snap shot of the early 1800s; the house has been carefully decorated to just how the Dickens family would have liked it, with Regency furnishings and Victorian homeware. In this early 19th-century time capsule there are numerous personal objects once belonging to Dickens, including a snuff box and the sofa on which he passed away in Kent.
Take part in the celebrations around the bicentennial of Dickens' birth. Check out the Dickens 2012 Festival, which is hosting numerous special exhibitions, plays, festivals and film screenings to commemorate one of the most prolific Victorian writers, and find out more about the Dickens 2012 events taking place in England.
Don't forget to read one of Dickens' novels too!
Blogger: Katie Rowe, Copywriter
London born. Hooked on grand architecture, the Kent coast, music festivals, flea markets, macaroons, roaming the V&A and cats.
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