This is A Tale of One City – Charles Dickens’ love affair with Birmingham.
The great man simply adored the place and made frequent visits. The industrial landscape even inspired his work, with The Old Curiosity Shop rumoured to have been penned while he was staying at Hill House, West Bromwich.
He describes Birmingham’s cinder tracks and chimneys oozing smoke in the Pickwick Papers. “The streets were thronged with working people. The hum of labour resounded from every house…”
Much has been written about Dickens’ public performance of A Christmas Carol at Birmingham Town Hall on December 27, 1853.
Yet his many other appearances have been forgotten. And, make no mistake, he forged very strong links with our city. Here's five historic reasons why Charles Dickens (b. 1812 d. 1870) loved Birmingham:
He describes Birmingham’s cinder tracks and chimneys oozing smoke in the Pickwick Papers. “The streets were thronged with working people. The hum of labour resounded from every house…”