Dickens' Magic Lantern Tour
Walk in the footsteps of Charles Dickens, from his old house to the streets that inspired him.
Starting at his old house— now the Dickens Museum— you'll head south and discover the surviving aspects of the London that inspired some of his most famous tales—from the original chimney pots and coal holes, to the higgledy-piggledy streets that made London his "magic lantern".
Crossing over to Gray's Inn, you will stop at the very office where a 15-year-old Charles Dickens worked as a junior clerk. You will then pass by a miraculous architectural survivor from Tudor times, the Staples Inn. It was therefore known not just to Dickens but also to William Shakespeare, the bard himself!
From there, you will visit the spot where Dickens lived in his early 20s, now marked by a poignant statue, before coming to the area that Dickens chose as the setting for Oliver Twist, the notorious former slum of Saffron Hill.
Onwards you'll trundle to your final stop, the original Barnard's Inn, where Pip, the protagonist of Great Expectations, lodged. A delightful setting to end the tour, conveniently located near Chancery Lane Station.
Duration: 90 minutes
Start Point: Charles Dickens Museum
End Point: Chancery Lane Station