Belmont members greatly enjoyed a visit to Charles Dickens House, Doughty Street
on Saturday 17th September.
The building is a wonderful example of Georgian architecture. It was threatened with
Demolition in 1923 but saved by The Dickens Fellowship who raised the mortgage and
bought the property’s freehold. The house was renovated and the Dickens House Museum
was opened in 1925.  It is the only surviving Dickens house in London.
 
The house is crammed full of fascinating objects:
The specially designed desk/lectern which Dickens read from on his public reading tours.
A small window rescued from the Camden Town house which Dickens would have stared
out from as a boy......
Perhaps the best known exhibit is the portrait of Dickens known as ‘Dickens Dream’ by R.W. Buss, an original illustrator of ‘The Pickwick Papers’.
This unfinished portrait shows Dickens in his study at Gads Hill Place surrounded by the
characters he created.
 
This visit was definitely one of Belmont’s most interesting and enjoyable ventures.
It goes without saying that, in true Belmont tradition, we ended up in a nearby
characterful pub to round off the visit with an excellent meal.
 
Many thanks to C-team and particularly to Graham for researching and organising this event’
Picture by Lynda Lovatt

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