Aside from its naval and shipping history, Portsmouth is most famous for being the birthplace of celebrated writer Charles Dickens. To honor this internationally-known author, the city of Portsmouth has decided to turn his birthplace home into a museum. The Charles Dickens’ Birthplace Museum is set up in a way that you don’t have to be a literature enthusiast to enjoy the experience.
The Charles Dickens’ Birthplace Museum gives you a glimpse into what life was like in Portsmouth in the early 1800s. The humble house is located on a quiet street not far from the Portsmouth docks. Charles’ parents John and Elizabeth Dickens moved to this brick house in 1809. It was their first home together as a married couple. Remarkably, the Dickens’ house has survived more than two centuries. Three of the rooms are authentically in the Regency style of the time. Though the actual belongings of the Dickens’ family have vanished over time, the décor of Charles Dickens’ Birthplace Museum gives an accurate idea of what the home would have looked like while the author lived there.
Charles Dickens was born in 1812 in one of the rooms of this Portsmouth house. The Dickens family only stayed in Portsmouth until 1815 when John’s job called him back to London. Even though Charles Dickens lived in this house for just three years, his birthplace home had a deep influence on him. He returned to Portsmouth three times and, on his final visit in 1866, attempted to locate his birthplace home. During this last trip, Charles Dickens was unable to find the house in which he was born. However, now tourists can easily find the Charles Dickens’ Birthplace Museum simply by following the tourist signs!
During most of the year, the Charles Dickens’ Birthplace Museum is open Monday through Sunday 10am to 5:30pm. On Sundays (from April to September), you can come to hear live readings from Charles Dickens’ works in his birthplace home.
