What better way to end the Charles Dickens 200 anniversary year than with the reopening of the author’s home in London? Charles Dickens’ London home is due to reopen its doors to the public next Monday, following a £3.1 million ($5 million) refurbishment.
The house, which is located at 48 Doughty Street in Central London, has been renovated with the aim of preserving the historic atmosphere. The project includes an expansion and changes to the room displays to allow visitors to feel the presence of the author.
Visitors to the museum can see the author’s dining room, his original writing and reading desk as well as the house’s attic and kitchen, opened for the first time to the public.
The project also includes the restoration of neighboring 49 Doughty Street to accommodate a visitors center and café.
Dickens rented the house in Doughty Street in 1837 and lived there for three years with his wife Catherine Hogarth. The couple’s first child was born in the house.
During those three years, Dickens made a name for himself, abandoning ‘Boz’ as his pseudonym and writing Nicholas Nickleby.
This year Britain marked the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Dickens, one of the country’s most famous writers and author of classics such as Great Expectations, Oliver Twist and David Copperfield.
To celebrate the anniversary, several events were organized across the country, and around the world, including exhibitions, a street party held in Dickens’ home town of Portsmouth, film retrospectives and tours.