Photo: Charles Dickens Museum by Peter Trimming, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Charles Dickens Museum is a Grade I listed historic house in Greater London, and a member of Historic Houses. Read about its history and architecture, plus how to visit and what's nearby.
About Charles Dickens Museum
Charles Dickens lived at 48 Doughty Street from 1837 to 1839, and the Georgian terraced house he rented is now the Charles Dickens Museum.
It stands in Bloomsbury, on the edge of King's Cross in the London Borough of Camden, and is the only one of Dickens's London homes still standing.
The Grade I listed building holds the world's most comprehensive collection of Dickens material, over 100,000 items including manuscripts, letters and personal effects.
Historic Houses supports the museum, though entry is not included in membership.
Read more on WikipediaHistory of Charles Dickens Museum
Dickens moved into the house a year after his marriage to Catherine Hogarth, and it was here that he completed The Pickwick Papers and wrote Oliver Twist and Nicholas Nickleby. He left in December 1839 as his growing success allowed him to move his family to a larger house nearby. The building later opened as a museum and now serves as the headquarters of the international Dickens Fellowship.
Architecture of Charles Dickens Museum
The museum occupies a standard Georgian terraced townhouse of the kind built across Bloomsbury in the early nineteenth century, its rooms arranged over four floors much as they would have been when Dickens and his young family lived there.
Worth knowing
The house is where Dickens became established as a writer and rose rapidly to international fame, and it remains a place of pilgrimage for readers, scholars and researchers from around the world. It also serves as the headquarters of the Dickens Fellowship, the international society devoted to his life and work.
Facilities
Plan your visit to Charles Dickens Museum
Nearest station: Russell Square Underground Station (0.3 miles)
Open year-round; check the official website for current opening days and times.
Places to visit near Charles Dickens Museum
The Foundling Museum
View The Foundling Museum on heritage mapRoman Baths, Strand Lane
View Roman Baths, Strand Lane on heritage mapLondon Wall
View London Wall on heritage mapBenjamin Franklin House
View Benjamin Franklin House on heritage mapBanqueting House
View Banqueting House on heritage mapHistoric places nearby
Within 5 miles of Charles Dickens Museum there are 25 historic properties, including 13 historic buildings, 4 historic houses and 3 museums, across English Heritage, National Trust and Historic Houses sites.
Within 10 miles of Charles Dickens Museum there are 40 historic properties, including 19 historic buildings, 9 historic houses and 4 palaces, across English Heritage, National Trust and Historic Houses sites.
Within 20 miles of Charles Dickens Museum there are 77 historic properties, including 33 historic buildings, 23 historic houses and 5 palaces, across Historic Houses, English Heritage and National Trust sites.
Facts
The only surviving London home of Charles Dickens, holding the world's largest collection of his letters, manuscripts and belongings.
- Type
- historic house
- Location
- Greater London, England
- Visit duration
- Allow around 2 hours
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