Charles Dickens Museum

Contents

Charles Dickens is one of Britain’s most famous writers.

Author of famous stories like A Christmas Carol, Oliver Twist, Great Expectations, David Copperfield and Nicholas Nickleby, many of his books depict life in Victorian London.

You can visit his former home, in a terraced Georgian house in London.

48 Doughty Street is the only surviving London residence of Charles Dickens.

He lived here from 1837 until 1839 and wrote some of his most iconic works, including parts of Oliver Twist, Nicholas Nickleby, and The Pickwick Papers, in this very house.

The museum’s collection comprises over 100,000 items, although not all of these are currently on display.

However, what is on display provides insight into Dickens’s life.

There are five floors to explore, from the basement (containing his wine cellar), up to the servants’ quarters on the third floor.

Inside the museum, you’ll find portraits, busts, Dickens’s writing desk, his reading desk, his Court Suit, and plenty of other personal artefacts.

On the ground floor, you’ll find a cafe that offers teas, coffees, soft drinks, cakes, cream teas, soups, and quiches.

Outside, you’ll find seating in the walled garden.

Is the Museum Worth Visiting?

We visited the museum using the Art Fund National Art Pass, so we didn’t have to pay the entry fee.

Unless you are a literary enthusiast or a devoted Dickens fan, we’d say the entry fee is a bit steep for a museum like this.

Although the museum is interesting and a site of historical significance, it doesn’t justify the entry fee when there is so much else to do in London that is the same price or free.

Visitor Information

📍 48-49 Doughty St, London, WC1N 2LX

💷 Paid entry

🌍 dickensmuseum.com

🕙 Wed to Sun, 10 am–5 pm, closed Mon & Tue