Charles Dickens: Our Visit To His London Home

Seeing the iconic street and red door was such a privilege. The lane is so quiet and quaint but what I found the most interesting was the fact that there was an old workhouse just near by, institutions heavily criticised by Dickens in his writing, particularly Oliver Twist and A Christmas Carol where Scrooge infamously asks the charity collectors if the workhouses were still up and running. Workhouses were large institutions in the 18th and 19th century that provided food and shelter for those in need in exchange for manual labour. The workhouses were cruel and harsh: families would be split up and they were treated like prisoners and tasks were extremely laborious and difficult, for example, picking oakum, which consisted of separating the fibres on old rope, strand by strand and the Penal Treadmill, a punishment that had residents climbing steps to turn large wooden wheels for absolutely no reason other than hard work. The workhouse that is close to Dickens' home is The Cleveland Street Workhouse. Dickens wrote Oliver Twist at his desk in his study of this home, and Oliver Twist is based on his life at a workhouse. 

I lingered here for a while... this was rather special. Standing before Charles Dickens’s writing desk was a quietly powerful moment...one that felt almost sacred. This was the very spot where he penned some of his earliest and most iconic works. Here, he completedThe Pickwick Papers, wrote Nicholas Nickleby, and, most famously, brought Oliver Twist to life (how surreal is that!) The desk itself is modest and well-worn, yet it seemed to hum with the energy of imagination. I loved how cosy his study was and how many bookshelves there were! Surrounded by his inkwell, papers, and personal items, it was easy to picture him there—focused, inspired, and unknowingly shaping literary history.

I am a huge Christmas Carol fan- it is the main reason I wanted to visit his home. 

What I wanted to see the most was the copper. A copper in the Victorian Era was a large, metal container used for heating water and doing laundry and other household tasks. Coppers would mostly be found in the Scullery, what we could call a utility space now but what the Cratchit's famously used it for on Christmas Day was boiling the pudding. 

“Hallo! A great deal of steam! The pudding was out of the copper. A smell like a washing-day! That was the cloth. A smell like an eating-house and a pastrycook’s next door to each other, with a laundress’s next door to that! That was the pudding! In half a minute Mrs. Cratchit entered—flushed, but smiling proudly—with the pudding, like a speckled cannon-ball, so hard and firm, blazing in half of half-a-quartern of ignited brandy, and bedight with Christmas holly stuck into the top.”

I found it a little emotional seeing a real-life copper. The Cratchit's Christmas Dinner in Stave Three is one of the most impactful moments for Scrooge in the novella (short novel). This is because of their togetherness, their bond and their thankfulness for what they have (which isn't much at all- Scrooge witnesses their abject poverty in this stave and begins to see that he has the power to change this and Tiny Tim's fate if he began to learn what Christmas is really about and show some compassion for others. The Cratchit's day is centred around their meal- everyone has a role to play in getting the dinner ready and they have all put such effort into making the day special. 

"Then up rose Mrs. Cratchit, Cratchit's wife, dressed out but poorly in a twice-turned gown, but brave in ribbons, which are cheap and make a goodly show for sixpence."

What is obvious in this scene is that there isn't enough food to go round, yet their appreciation for the 'feast' that is in front of them is heartbreaking for readers. Mrs Cratchit is overwhelmed about the pudding.

"Suppose it should not be done enough! Suppose it should break in turning out! Suppose somebody should have got over the wall of the back-yard, and stolen it, while they were merry with the goose: a supposition at which the two young Cratchits became livid! All sorts of horrors were supposed."

She worries it might not be big enough or that something has gone wrong with it or even worse, someone might have stolen it when it was cooling down. She is so focused on making the day special for her family and Bob Cratchit mirrors the efforts and sentiment perfectly. 

"Oh, a wonderful pudding! Bob Cratchit said, and calmly too, that he regarded it as the greatest success achieved by Mrs Cratchit since their marriage.'

 

The house itself is rather large and you can see his desk in his study where many of his famous works were written. The museum boats a beautiful, little tearoom and gift shop (because you have to have tea and souvenirs every single time) and overall it is one of the most special places to visit. 

We were beyond inspired by this visit. I found everything about it completely captivating. We knew we wanted to create A Christmas Carol Wax Melt Gift Box. So we took inspiration from his home and the first publication of the novella and came up with this. 

I had to show you my favourite wax melt in the box- the homage to the Cratchit's and their christmas pudding...featuring a real sixpence. If you are a Charles Dickens fan, or know someone who is, send them something completely unique this year with our gifts for book-lovers.

Thanks for reading,

Lottie