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| Charles Dickens Museum | |
|---|---|
 Charles Dickens Museum, London | |
 Interactive map of the Charles Dickens Museum area | |
| Alternative names | Charles Dickens House |
| General information | |
| Type | House |
| Location | Doughty Street,London, England |
| Designations | Grade I listed building |
| Known for | Being the home of the author Charles Dickens in the 1830s |
TheCharles Dickens Museum is anauthor's house museum at 48Doughty Street inKing's Cross, in theLondon Borough of Camden. It occupies a typicalGeorgian terraced house which wasCharles Dickens's home from 25 March 1837 (a year after his marriage) to December 1839.
In the nineteenth century, it was an exclusive residential street and had gates at either end to restrict entry and these were staffed by porters.[1] Charles Dickens and his wifeCatherine Dickens (née Hogarth) lived here with the eldest three of their ten children, with the older two of Dickens's daughters,Mary Dickens andKate Macready Dickens being born in the house.[2]
A new addition to the household was Dickens's younger brotherFrederick. Also, Catherine's 17-year-old sisterMary moved with them fromFurnival's Inn to offer support to her married sister and brother. It was not unusual for a woman's unwed sister to live with and help a newly married couple. Dickens became very attached to Mary, and she died in his arms after a brief illness in 1837. She inspired characters in many of his books, and her death is fictionalized as the death ofLittle Nell. Dickens had a three-year lease (at £80 a year) on the property. He would remain here until 1839 when he moved to Devonshire Terrace. He upscaled to grander homes as his wealth increased and his family grew. However, Doughty Street is his only surviving London house.
The two years that Dickens lived in the house were extremely productive, for here he completedThe Pickwick Papers (1836), wrote the whole ofOliver Twist (1838) andNicholas Nickleby (1838–39) and worked onBarnaby Rudge (1840–41).[3]
The building at 48 Doughty Street was threatened with demolition in 1923, but was saved by theDickens Fellowship, founded in 1902, who raised themortgage and bought the property's freehold. The house was renovated and the Dickens House Museum was opened in 1925, under the direction of an independent trust, now aregistered charity.[4] The house was listed in 1954.
Perhaps the best-known exhibit is the portrait of Dickens known asDickens's Dream byR. W. Buss, an original illustrator ofThe Pickwick Papers. This unfinished portrait shows Dickens in his study atGads Hill Place surrounded by many of the characters he had created.[5] The painting was begun in 1870 after Dickens's death. Other notable artefacts in the museum include numerous first editions, original manuscripts, originalletters by Dickens, and many personal items owned by Dickens and his family. The only known item of clothing worn by Dickens still in existence is also displayed at the museum. This is his Court Suit and sword, worn when Dickens was presented to the Prince of Wales in 1870.[6]
51°31′26″N0°07′01″W / 51.523921°N 0.116902°W /51.523921; -0.116902
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