Celebrating 200 years of our greatest Victorian writer Charles Dickens
Born in Portsmouth in February 1812, Charles Dickens and his family moved to Chatham in Kent early in his life, and it is here that he spent most of his childhood. The Medway Towns became a rich source of inspiration, particularly the city of Rochester which was described by Dickens' friend John Forster as 'the birthplace of his fancy', and figure significantly in his works, including The Pickwick Papers and Great Expectations. After spending many years in London, Dickens returned to Kent in 1856 when he bought Gads Hill Place, his 'little Kentish freehold'. It was here that he died in 1870.
Your expert guide is Dr Tony Williams, Associate Editor of The Dickensian and was joint general secretary of the International Dickens Fellowship from 1999 to 2006.
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