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:
5. Starring in Birmingham theatres
Dickens, a frustrated actor, actually trod the boards at Birmingham’s Theatre Royal - which was located on New Street until it was demolished in 1956. Dickens performed there on June 6 and 9, 1848, with his amateur theatrical company, the star-studded troupe including brothers Frederick and Augustus. A review stated: “The acting of Mr Dickens…displayed histrionic capacity of the very highest kind.” The words suggest he was a little over-the-top. After the opening night, Dickens wrote to John T Lawrence, chairman of Birmingham Theatricals Committee, saying he was “delighted to find that we have left so agreeable an impression in Birmingham.” And Birmingham certainly left an agreeable impression on Dickens, an agreeable impression that would last a lifetime. Here's a photo of New Street, Birmingham, West Midlands, 1887. (Photo by The Print Collector/Print Collector/Getty Images) | Print Collector/Getty Images