Charles Dickens Museum

The Charles Dickens Museum at 48 Doughty Street is the only surviving London home of Charles Dickens. He lived there between 1837 and 1839 while writing The Pickwick Papers, Oliver Twist, Nicholas Nickleby, and Barnaby Rudge. He moved in with his wife Catherine, his eldest son Charley, his brother Fred and his sister-in-law Mary Hogarth. While staying at 48 Doughty Street, his two daughters Mary and Katey were born, and his sister-in-law died at only seventeen years old.

This museum is included in the list of:
Famous London People Museums and Houses.

Pros

Museum is in a former home of Charles Dickens

Carefully restored rooms

Cons

As the museum is in a terraced house, the museum does not have disabled access to other floors (there are four floors)

Visit Duration

1 hour +

Opening Hours

Monday to Sunday: 10am - 5pm
Last admission: 30 minutes before closing time.

The museum is open every day of the year, incuding Christmas Day.

Tickets

Adults: £5-10
Concessions: £5 approx
Children: Under £5.00
Under 10s go free.

No charge to visit the shop or the courtyard cafe.

Address
Charles Dickens Museum
48 Doughty Street
London
WC1N 2LX

Nearest Tube Stations
Russell Square
Holborn

Use Journey Planner to plan your route.

Telephone Number
020 7405 2127

Official Website
www.dickensmuseum.com

You may well also enjoy a day trip from London to visit Dickens World.

This is one of those places I've been meaning to go to for years but eventually made it when I did the Charles Dickens' London Walk book review. You need to ring the doorbell to gain entry but don't be put off, it's just that the shop is at the back of the shop and they can buzz you in.

The Charles Dickens Museum is housed in a former home of the great man and opened as a museum 1925. Many rooms have been recently refurbished to try to recreate rooms as they were when he lived there.

There is an audio guide available for a small fee, or you can read the information folders in each room.

The museum is on four floors so be pre-warned if you're not good with stairs.

I recommend you start your tour downstairs in the basement where you can watch a short film about Charles Dickens and his life in London. Work your way up to through the building then end with a trip to the shop on the ground floor.

If Dickens interests you, you may well want to see the temporary exhibition at the Museum of London (on till 10 June 2012): Dickens and London.