The Charles Dickens Museum

          The Charles Dickens Museum 

Today we decided we would go and visit the Charles Dickens Museum , 

and we enjoyed it so much I thought I would share it with you.

The Museum at 48 Doughty Street London WC1N 2LX,

Is the only London based remaining home of Charles Dickens 

he lived here between 1837 and 1839

 he took a 3 year lease on the house paying £80 a year !

My grandson was quite taken with that fact saying how cheap it was 

 so I explained to him in today's comparison it would have been a lot of money 

which most people would not have been able to afford.

The Museum itself is a stunning 4 story Georgian terraced house

that underwent a 3.1 Million refurbishment in 2012

it's a short walk from Euston,Kings Cross and Russell Square train stations

 hidden away down a terraced street.

It really is one of London's hidden treasures

that is well worth a visit for any Dickens fan .

The house is steeped in history and information, 

there are original books,paintings,photographs and memorabilia

that gives you a unique sight into the life and work of Dicken's

There is disabled access with a lift but it only goes to the 3rd floor 

there's a nice little reading room upstairs if you wanted to sit and take a rest 

on all floors there are volunteers 

that are only to happy to show you around and answer

any questions you may have

when entering the house you arrive in to the little shop 

that is filled with all things Dickens

 his books , tea-towels ,wrapping paper

table ware even feather pens and ink pots

you are greeted by a delightful and enthusiastic young lady 

where you are offered an audio guide and a family trail for

the younger members of the family , which certainly kept

them entertained while the older ones lost themselves in the world of Dickens

I think my favourite room has to be the dining room

 with the excellently laid dining table , 

where it states Dickens would entertain up to 14 guest's

each place set has a plate bearing the image of one of Dickens friends. I thought it was interesting that the cutlery was kept upside down so as to stop guests or family members from catching their sleeves on the cutlery. 

               

In the basement there is a big kitchen complete with hedgehog

which was kept to eat the slugs  and insects!

a great touch is the dressing up outfits your welcome to try on 

which my mum was more then happy to do !

can you spot the hedgehog ?

                                                               

 There was a wash room with stone sink mangle and clothes line

the wash room down in the basement

This is Dicken's original chair from his morning room

Dickens original desk and chair

Dickens bedroom

Dickens also had a desk and chair in his bedroom
so he could sit and write in his own quiet space

This is the bedroom Dickens's wife Catherine Hogarth, sister Mary Hogarth 

died in

Cathertine  had a separate little dressing room 

where she would bath and get dressed ,

could you imaging having to have a bath 

in one of these nowadays !

I love the silhouettes on the wall's

 going up and down  the stairs 

I could imagine it being very spooky on a candle lit evening

if you caught sight of one of these out the corner of your eye 

There is also a lovely little cafe 

that serves a lovely pot of tea with a delicious 

selection of cake sandwiches and soup 

you can drop in for a pot of tea or a coffee with out visiting the museum

so if ever you are in the vicinity and in need of a cuppa i would 

highly recommend this delightful little cafe

they have a lovely little garden 

that would be lovely to sit in on a summers afternoon

so if  you are ever in London looking to do something 

why not go along to this delightful museum ,

as i can only show you a snippet of what your able to see here 

 it seems to have a steady stream of visitors but wasn't to packed, 

 like some of the museums n London where it can be a struggle to see anything at all .

you can check out their website here 

 http://www.dickensmuseum.com/

      as they often do evening event's and costume tours at weekends 

that sound well worth doing and I think wold be great fun !

Opening hours 

mon-sun 10am-5pm
last admission 4pm

Tickts prices

Adults £8

Concessons £6

children 6-16 £4

free admission with a London Pass, Art Fund card, MA card and many others.