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Charles Dickens' London Map

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Charles Dickens London Map

Additional information available at each location:

Zoom - See the selected location on maps from 1862, 1843, and 1827.

Dictionary - Description of that location taken from the 1879 Dickens's Dictionary of London by Charles Dickens Jr compiled for the web by Lee Jackson, who has also compiled The Victorian Dictionary.

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Map last updated July 2020



 Updated and redesigned!

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Dickens London Map

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The Adelphi (Map: E-7) - Elegant housing complex along the Thames built by the Adam brothers in the 1760s (Adelphi is Greek for brothers) and torn down in the 1930s (Leapman, 1989, p. 78). A few of the elegant homes in the area still stand, such as number 7 Adam Street (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 7).

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Aldersgate Street (Map: C-10) - Named for Aldergate, one of the Roman gates in the City wall (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 14).

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Astley's Royal Equestrian Amphitheatre (Map: F-7) - Popular outdoor amphitheatre which mixed theatre with circus including equestrian performances. Philip Astley, who opened the amphitheatre in 1794 after his original tent structure of 1769 burned down, is considered a pioneer of the modern circus. After being rebuilt several times the structure was demolished in 1893 (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 30).

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Austin Friars (Map: D-11) - Street named for a Augustinian monastery founded here in 1253. The friary was dissolved by Thomas Cromwell in 1538 and later became home to the Dutch Church (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 31-32).

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Bank of England (Map: D-10) - Established in 1694, and known as the Old Lady of Threadneedle Street, the Bank was privately owned until 1946 when it was nationalized and came under government control (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 37-38).

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Barbican (Map: C-10) - Area named for an outer fortification of the City. The area was heavily damaged by German bombs in 1940 (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 40).

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Barnard's Inn (Map: D-8) - One of the medieval Inns of Chancery which, during Dickens' time had effectively become residential chambers (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 432). Dickens describes the Inn in Great Expectations as "the dingiest collection of shabby buildings ever squeezed together in a rank corner as a club for Tom-cats" (Great Expectations, p. 162).

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16 Bayham Street (Map: A-5) - Four-roomed house in Camden Town that the Dickens family rented for £22 a year upon their move from Chatham in 1822. Dickens later said of the area that "is was as shabby, dingy, damp, and mean a neighbourhood as one would desire not to see" (Ackroyd, 1990, p. 57-58).

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Bedlam (Map: G-8) - Officially Bethlehem Hospital, a hospital for the insane, founded in 1247. Originally the hospital was near Bishopsgate. It moved to Moorfields in 1676, and then to Southwark in 1815. The hospital moved to its present location in Croyden in 1930 (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 63-64). Dickens uses the term "bedlam" to describe any act of lunacy.

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Belgrave Square (Map: G-4) - Fashionable square in Belgravia, named for Lord Grosvenor who also had the title of Viscount Belgrave. Formerly a swamp filled in with dirt from St. Katherine's Dock, it was developed by Thomas Cubitt in 1826 (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 56).

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18 Bentinck Street (Map: D-4) - John Dickens moved his family here at the beginning of 1833 and Charles celebrated his twenty-first birthday with a party here four days after the fact on February 11, 1833 (Johnson, 1952, p. 73).

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Bethnal Green (Map: B-13) - Area in London's east end and one of the poorest parts of the metropolis in Dickens' time (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 64).

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Bevis Marks (Map: D-11) - Street just inside the Roman city wall. Its name is a corruption of Burics Marks, the house of the Abbot of Bury St. Edmunds which was once located here (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 65).

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Billingsgate (Map: E-11) - London's preferred wharf for shipping because of its location below London Bridge. It became the City's official fish market in 1698. Also reknowned for the foul language used there (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 69).

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Bishopsgate (Map: D-11) - London Ward named for the northern gate in the walled medieval city (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 70). In Dickens' time the area included many coaching inns convenient to passengers travelling on the Old North Road.

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Blackfriars Bridge (Map: E-9) - Bridge over the Thames built in the late 1700's, demolished and rebuilt in the 1860s. The bridge was officially named the William Pitt Bridge but the public insisted on referring to it by the name of the Blackfriars Monastery close by. The Black Friars were Dominican monks who set up a priory in the area in 1221 (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 71-72).

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Blackfriars Road (Map: F-9) - Road built between 1770 and 1800 in Southwark that runs from Blackfriars Bridge to the Obelisk in St. George's Circus. Formerly known as Great Surrey Street (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 73).

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Bleeding Heart Yard (Map: C-8) - A cobbled courtyard off Greville Street in the City of London and part of the original courtyard of Hatton House. The courtyard got its name from a ghostly tale in which Lady Hatton partners with the Devil in order to obtain favors for her husband, Sir Christopher Hatton. After favors are granted Lady Hatton neglects to give the Devil his due and the residents of the Yard find her bleeding heart lying by the pump. The ghost of Lady Hatton is said to haunt the Yard and the tale, part of The Ingoldsby Legends by Rev. Richard Barham, ends with a warning:

The last piece of advice which I'd have you regard
Is, "don't go of a night into Bleeding-Heart-Yard,"
It's a dark, little, dirty, black, ill-looking square,
With queer people about, and unless you take care,
You may find, when your pocket's clean'd out and left bare,
That the iron one is not the only "Pump" there! (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 75).

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Bloomsbury (Map: C-6) - Residential area of Holborn. Charles Dickens lived at Doughty Street (now the Charles Dickens Museum) here from 1837-1839 and at Tavistock House here from 1851-1860.

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Bond Street (Map: E-5) - Area of Fashionable shops in Northwest London. Dickens uses Bond Street as an example of a well-to-do area of the City.

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The Boot (Map: B-7) - The original Boot tavern was located in the fields behind the Foundling Hospital and was of bad repute. The area was made over in the early 19th century and the present Boot Tavern at 116 Cromer Street was rebuilt on or near the site of the original tavern (Hayward, 1924, p. 20).

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The Borough (Map: G-10) - Area south of London bridge in Southwark.

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Borough High Street (Map: F-10) - Major thoroughfare in Southwark lined with coaching inns for travelers coming to London from the south (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 82-83).

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Borough Market (Map: F-10) - May be the oldest fruit and vegetable market in London. The original market had spread to the southern end of London Bridge by 1276. By the mid 18th century the market was causing such a disruption to traffic that it was closed. The City granted the parishioners of St Saviour's church to set up a new market in a different location which still exists (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 83).

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Brick Lane (Map: C-12 ) - Street in London's East End named for the brick and tile manufactured nearby in the 16th century (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 91).

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British Museum (Map: C-7) - The collection was originally housed at Montagu House, Bloomsbury and opened in 1759 although public access was limited. The current neo-classical building was completed in 1857 (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 95-97).

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Buckingham Palace (Map: F-5) - Built 1702-1705 for John Sheffield, 1st duke of Buckingham. Purchased for the royal family in 1762 by George III. It became the official London residence of the monarchy in 1837 when Queen Victoria moved there (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 108-109). Dickens had a private audience with the Queen at Buckingham Palace in 1870 (Ackroyd, 1990, p. 1066).

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Buckingham Street (Map: E-7) - Street in West London running from the Strand down towards the Thames.

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Bull Inn (Map: D-12) - Coaching Inn in Whitechapel. It was at its zenith shortly before the advent of railways, when Mrs Anne Nelson, coach proprietor, was the landlady. Mrs Nelson was called the "Napoleon and Caesar" of the coaching business. (Matz, 1921, p. 119-121).

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Camden Town (Map: A-6) - Rural suburb in northwest London at the start of the nineteenth century. Urban sprawl encroached first by Regent's Canal in 1816 and in the 1840s by the railroad. Dickens' family lived here in the early 1820s at 16 Bayham Street (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 123). Twelve-year-old Charles had lodging at 37 Little College Street with Mrs Roylance while his father was in prison for debt and Charles worked at Warren's Blacking Factory (Hayward, 1924, p. 98).

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Cannon Street (Map: D-10) - Street leading from St. Paul's-churchyard to the end of King William-street. It was formerly known as Candelwrithe Street and then Candlewick Street, due to the candlemakers who lived there. Its present name is a corruption of these former names (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 127).

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Cavendish Square (Map: D-5) - Fashionable square in West London. Developed by John Prince beginning in 1717 (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 136-137).

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Cecil Street (Map: E-7) - Former street leading from the Strand down to the river. A young Charles Dickens took lodgings in Cecil Street briefly in 1832 while working as a parliamentary reporter (Ackroyd, 1990, p. 146).

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Chancery Lane (Map: D-8) - London street associated with the legal profession. In Dickens' time Chancery cases were heard by the Lord High Chancellor at Lincoln's Inn Hall off Chancery lane (Davis, 1999, p. 55).

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Charing Cross (Map: E-6) - District of London named for the last of the stone crosses erected by Edward I in 1291 to mark the stops of Queen Eleanor's funeral procession from Nottinghamshire to Westminster Abbey. The original Charing Cross was taken down and demolished during the English Civil War in the 1640s. An equestrian statue of Charles has stood on the spot since 1675. The present Eleanor Cross was erected in 1863 a little ways down the Strand from the original (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 148).

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Cheapside (Map: D-10) - Medieval London's shopping district, ceap was Old English for market (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 153).

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Chelsea (Map: H-4) - Residential area of West London where Dickens married Catherine Hogarth in 1836 (Hayward, 1924, p. 33).

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Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese (Map: D-9) - This charming little pub was frequented by Dickens (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 160). The sign on the present building states that it was rebuilt in 1667 after it was destroyed in the Great Fire.

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1 Chester Place (Map: B-5) - Elegant address on the east side of Regent's Park. Dickens and Catherine came from Paris and took lodging here for three months in 1847 while 10-year-old Charley recuperated from scarlet fever (Ackroyd, 1990, p. 523).

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The City (Map: E-10) - Area of London comprising the walled medieval city, most of which was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666. In Dickens' time the City was evolving from a residential area to a banking and finance center, the former residents moving to the western and northern suburbs and commuting to the City as mass transportation was introduced (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 172-174).

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City Road (Map: B-9) - Road, built in 1761, that enters central London from the north (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 188).

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Clare Market (Map: D-7) - Meat market that dated from the 17th century. In Dickens' time it was described as a "crowded, noisy, and unsavoury place." The area was razed in the early 1900s to make way for Aldwych and Kingsway (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 191).

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Clerkenwell (Map: B-8) - Originally an ancient rural hamlet north of the City. During Dickens' time the population exploded as London expanded north and west and the area suffered as a result (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 193-195).

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Clifford's Inn (Map: D-8) - Clifford's Inn was previously an Inn of Chancery. Founded in 1345 and dissolved in 1903, most of its original structure was demolished in 1934 (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 432).

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Cornhill (Map: D-11) - Well-known thouroughfare in The City named for a medieval grain market. Cornhill is the highest hill in the City (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 207-208).

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Covent Garden (Map: E-7) - Originally a convent garden that supplied food to Westminster Abbey, after the dissolution of the monasteries in 1540 the land passed to first Earl of Bedford whose family commissioned architect Inigo Jones to develope the area in the 1630s. License for a flower, fruit, and herb market was granted in 1670 (Leapman, 1989, p. 75-77). The Covent Garden Theatre is located here.

Dickens description of Covent Garden in Martin Chuzzlewit where Tom Pinch and his sister Ruth enjoy frequent walks: Many and many a pleasant stroll they had in Covent-Garden Market: snuffing up the perfume of the fruits and flowers, wondering at the magnificence of the pine-apples and melons; catching glimpses down side-avenues, of rows and rows of old women, seated on inverted baskets shelling peas; looking unutterable things at the fat bundles of asparagus with which the dainty shops were fortified as with a breastwork; and, at the herbalists’ doors, gratefully inhaling scents as of veal-stuffing yet uncooked, dreamily mixed up with capsicums, brown-paper, seeds: even with hints of lusty snails and fine young curly leeches. Many and many a pleasant stroll they had among the poultry markets, where ducks and fowls, with necks unnaturally long, lay stretched out in pairs, ready for cooking; where there were speckled eggs in mossy baskets; white country sausages beyond impeachment by surviving cat or dog, or horse or donkey; new cheeses to any wild extent; live birds in coops and cages, looking much too big to be natural, in consequence of those receptacles being much too little; rabbits, alive and dead, innumerable. Many a pleasant stroll they had among the cool, refreshing, silvery fish-stalls, with a kind of moonlight effect about their stock in trade, excepting always for the ruddy lobsters. Many a pleasant stroll among the waggon-loads of fragrant hay, beneath which dogs and tired waggoners lay fast asleep, oblivious of the pieman and the public-house (Martin Chuzzlewit, p. 621-622).

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Crystal Palace (Map: F-3) - The exhibition hall built in Hyde Park by Joseph Paxton for the Great Exhibition of 1851. The exhibition was the idea of Prince Albert, who conceived it to celebrate the Industrial Revolution. The Crystal Palace was moved to Sydenham, in south London, in 1854 and accidentally burned down in 1936 (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 225-226). Dickens and artist W.P. Frith were given a tour of the Palace by Paxton while it was under construction (Johnson, 1952, p. 728).

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Devonshire Terrace (Map: C-5) - Dickens home from 1839 to 1851 located opposite the York Gate entrance to Regent's Park. The house was destroyed in 1962 (Hardwick et al, 1973, p. 277).

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Doctors' Commons (Map: E-9) - The College of the Doctors of the Law, it received a Royal charter in 1768 with headquarters near St Paul's Cathedral. The College was abolished in 1857 and the building was demolished in 1867 (Hayward, 1924, p. 51). Dickens had an office here when he was a reporter in the early 1830s (Ackroyd, 1990, p. 132).

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48 Doughty Street (Map: C-8) - Dickens' home from 1837 to 1839. Dickens' early fame allowed him to take a three year lease here. His beloved sister-in-law, Mary, died here. The home was purchased by The Dickens Fellowship and was opened to the public as the Dickens House Museum in 1925. It operates today as the Charles Dickens Museum (Schlicke, 1999, p. 176-178).

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Drury Lane (Map: D-7) - London street named for Sir Robert Drury who built a mansion on the lane in 1500. The Drury Lane Theatre is located here. In Dickens' time Drury Lane was a slum known for prostitution and gin palaces (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 250).

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Essex Street (Map: E-8) - Street off of the Strand built about 1680 on the site of Essex House which was once the Outer Temple of the Knights Templar (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 276-277).

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Fenchurch Street (Map: E-11) - Ancient street in the City of London. Three Roman pavements have been found in the vicinity (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 288-289).

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Finsbury Square (Map: C-11) - Square designed by George Dance the Younger and others 1777-91. Said to be the first public place where gas lighting was permanently installed (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 292-293).

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13 Fitzroy Street (Map: C-5) - Charles Dickens briefly moved back in with his parents here in 1834 after a brief period of living on his own at Cecil Street (Johnson, 1952, p. 65).

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Fleet Prison (Map: D-8) - The oldest of London's prisons, it is said to have been built soon after the Norman Conquest but it is not recorded until 1170-71. It stood on the east bank of the Fleet river and was rebuilt several times, the last being after the Great Fire of 1666. Used as a debtor's prison in Dickens' time, it remained in use until 1842 and was demolished in 1846 (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 297-298).

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Fleet Street (Map: D-8) - Main thoroughfare running from Temple Bar into the City and named for the Fleet River which was covered and moved underground in the 18th century. Fleet Street was home to London's printing and publishing industry and, working as a young reporter, Dickens was well acquainted with this area (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 298-300).

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Foundling Hospital (Map: C-7) - Orphanage established in 1739 by Captain Thomas Coram, retired merchant seaman (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 306-307).

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Furnival's Inn (Map: C-8) - One of the Inns of Chancery established in 1345, its use as a legal community was discontinued in 1817 and the buildings were demolished and rebuilt as a residential property retaining the name. Dickens moved into dilapidated chambers at 13 Furnival's Inn, with his younger brother Frederick, in December 1834. In anticipation of his marriage to Catherine Hogarth Dickens took larger quarters at 15 Furnival's Inn until the young couple, along with Frederick and sister-in-law Mary Hogarth, moved to 48 Doughty Street in April 1837. Most of Pickwick Papers was written here. The building was demolished in 1897 when the Prudential Assurance Company acquired the property (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 432-433).

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George and Vulture Inn (Map: D-11) Historic pub off Lombard Street and still operating today (Matz, 1921, p. 139).

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George Inn (Map: F-10) Last of the galleried coaching inns that dotted Borough High Street in Dickens' time. An inn has stood on this spot since medieval times and the present building dates from 1676. Parts of the inn were demolished in 1899 to make way for railway construction (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 322). In the era before the coming of the railroad (1830s) coaching inns offered food, drink, and warmth to travellers coming into London by coach. It is supposed that Shakespeare appeared in plays which were a frequent attraction in the yards of these inns.

In Pickwick Papers Dickens describes these old coaching inns: "In the Borough especially, there still remain some half-dozen old inns, which have preserved their external features unchanged, and which have escaped alike the rage for public improvement and the encroachments of private speculation. Great, rambling queer old places they are, with galleries, and passages, and staircases, wide enough and antiquated enough to furnish materials for a hundred ghost stories, supposing we should ever be reduced to the lamentable necessity of inventing any, and that the world should exist long enough to exhaust the innumerable veracious legends connected with old London Bridge, and its adjacent neighbourhood on the Surrey side."

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57 Gloucester Place (Map: D-3) Street built in 1810 and named for William, Duke of Gloucester, brother of George III (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 327). Charles Dickens took lodgings here for the "London Season" in 1864 while working on Our Mutual Friend (Ackroyd, 1990, p. 943).

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70 Gloucester Crescent (Map: A-5) House taken by Catherine Dickens after her separation from Charles in 1857. In her book The Other Dickens, Lillian Nayder describes it as "more modest than either Devonshire Terrace or Tavistock House, but for a middle class household of four—Catherine, Charley, and two live-in servants—it was spacious enough" (Nayder, 2011, p. 257).

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Golden Square (Map: E-5) Once fashionable square in London's West End developed in the late 1600s. The name is probably a corruption of gelding as the site was once used as a grazing ground for geldings. The square was in decline in Dickens' time (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 328).

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Goswell Street (Map: C-9) In Dickens' time Goswell Street was a part of Goswell Road, which follows the path of an ancient road leading from the City to the north (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 334).

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4 Gower Street North (Map: C-6) The Dickens family moved here just after Christmas 1823 when Charles was eleven years old. As John Dickens descent into debt continued his wife, Elizabeth, decided to open a school for girls here. Charles remembered a plaque being affixed to the street door that read "Mrs Dickens Establishment." He also recollected that ...nobody ever came to the school, nor do I recollect that anybody ever proposed to come, or that the least preparation was made to receive anybody. On February 9, 1824, two days after his twelfth birthday, Charles began work, pasting labels on bottles of boot-black, at Warren's Blacking Factory to help support the family.

Finally, John Dickens' financial difficulties came to a head and he was imprisoned in the Marshalsea debtors' prison on February 20, 1824. For a short while the rest of the family remained at Gower Street but in early April Elizabeth took the younger children and went to live her husband in the Marshalsea. Charles older sister, Fanny, was still enrolled at the Royal Academy of Music and Charles was sent to live with a family friend, Mrs Roylance, on Little College Street in Camden Town (Ackroyd, 1990, p. 64-74).

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Gray's Inn (Map: C-8) - One of the four Inns of Court, Dickens was a solicitor's clerk here in the offices of Ellis and Blackmore from May 1827 to November 1828 (Hayward, 1924, p. 72).

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Green Park (Map: F-5) - One of the royal parks, officially the property of the Royal Family. Originally part of the grounds of St. James Palace. It was enclosed by Henry VIII and made a Royal Park by Charles II (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 350-351).

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Grosvenor Square (Map: E-4) - The heart of the Grosvenor family's Mayfair Estate, it was built between 1725 and 1731. The largest square in London after Lincoln's Inn Fields. From its inception it has remained one of London's most prestigious addresses (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 359-360).

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Guildhall (Map: D-10) - Ceremonial and administrative center of the City of London. The present building was completed in 1439. It was damaged in the Great Fire of London in 1666 and restored, it was damaged again during a Luftwaffe strike in 1940 and again restored (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 362-363).

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Guy's Hospital (Map: F-11) - Teaching hospital in Southwark endowed by wealthy printer and publisher Thomas Guy (1645-1724). Guy purchased the land, opposite St Thomas' Hospital in 1721 but did not live to see its first patients admitted to his hospital (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 365-366).

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Hanover Square (Map: D-5) - Developed soon after the elector of Hanover (Germany) accended to the throne as George I in 1714. Development of the square was swift due to a building boom in London's West End in the 1720s. The fashionable church of St George is adjacent to the square (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 381-382).

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3 Hanover Terrace (Map: B-3) - Posh development overlooking Regent's Park and designed by John Nash in 1822 (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 382). In early 1861 Dickens took number 3, a "really delightful house" for the London Season (Ackroyd, 1990, p. 888).

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Harley Street (Map: C-4) - Known since the middle of the 19th century for its large number of medical offices (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 384).

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Hatton Garden (Map: C-8) - Named for Sir Christopher Hatton, Chancellor for Elizabeth I, the area is famous for being the center of London's jewelry, precious metal, and diamond trade (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 388).

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Holborn (Map: C-8) - Area of London that includes Lincoln's Inn and Gray's Inn. First mentioned in a 10th century charter in which King Edgar granted land here to Westminster Abbey (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 405).

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Horsemonger Lane Gaol (Map: G-10) - Prison in Southwark completed in 1799 and in use until 1878. Dickens witnessed the execution of the Mannings here in 1849 (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 416).

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Houses of Parliament (Map: G-7) - The old Houses of Parliament burned down in 1834 and were housed in temporary structures until the present Houses were completed in 1860 (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 617-619). Dickens worked as a parliamentary reporter for the Mirror of Parliament from 1832-1834, and for The Morning Chronicle from 1834-1836 (Davis, 1999, p. 244+247).

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Hungerford Bridge (Map: E-7) - An elegant footbridge, designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, opened in 1845 to serve Hungerford Market. It was replaced by a railway bridge designed by Sir John Hawkshaw to serve the new station at Charing Cross. The new bridge, considered the worst eyesore in London, opened in 1864 (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 420-421).

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Hungerford Market (Map: E-7) - Built in 1682 by Sir Edward Hungerford the market was meant to rival Covent Garden. Hungerford Stairs led from the market down to the river. The market was rebuilt in 1833 and demolished in 1860 to make way for the Charing Cross Railway Station (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 420).

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Hyde Park (Map: E-3) - The largest of the London parks, Hyde Park was once a royal deer park enclosed by Henry VIII. It was opened to the public in the early 17th century. Its famous bridle path, Rotten Row, and man-made lake, The Serpentine, are among its most popular attractions. The Great Exhibition was held here in 1851 (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 423-425).

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16 Hyde Park Gate (Map: F-1) - Fashionable address where Dickens took temporary residence in February 1862 while doing public readings in London so that his daughter Mamie and sister-in-law Georgina could be in town for the season (Ackroyd, 1990, p. 908-909). In a letter to his friend W.F. De Cerjat Dickens reveals his feelings for the house: "Behold me therefore, established in an odious little London box, which I so thoroughly detest abominate and abjure that I have not settled down to write one word until this very day" (Letters, 1998, v. 10, p. 52).

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5 Hyde Park Place (Map: D-3) Charles Dickens took lodgings here overlooking Hyde Park in early 1870 so that his daughter Mary could be in town for the "London Season" and to prevent his having to travel by railroad between London and Gads Hill while he finished the last of his farewell readings at St James's Hall. With his health deteriorating rapidly he was writing The Mystery of Edwin Drood here (Ackroyd, 1990, p. 1063).

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Islington (Map: A-9) - Suburb in north London which expanded greatly during the nineteenth century due in part to the railroad and Regent's Canal that passes through this area. Islington sits on a hill that has long supplied London with water from its springs (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 437-438).

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Jacob's Island (Map: F-12) - Notorious slum next to the river in Bermondsey, much of its slums were demolished in 1883. The site of the old island in now traversed by Jacob Street (Hayward, 1924, p. 87). In Oliver Twist Dickens describes the area: In such a neighborhood, beyond Dockhead in the Borough of Southwark, stands Jacob's Island, surrounded by a muddy ditch, six or eight feet deep and fifteen or twenty wide when the tide is in, once called Mill Pond, but known in the days of this story as Folly Ditch. It is a creek or inlet from the Thames, and can always be filled at high water by opening the sluices at the Lead Mills from which it took its old name.

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29 Johnson Street (Map: A-6) - House in Somers Town where the Dickens family moved in late 1824. Charles Dickens continued to work at Warren's Blacking Factory and later attended school at Wellington House Academy while living here. The family was evicted for nonpayment of rent in 1827 and lived briefly at The Polygon but were soon back in Johnson Street where they remained until 1829 (Ackroyd, 1990, p. 84+114). It was in this house, from 1922 to 1932, that John Langstaff established the David Copperfield Library, supplying books to the poor children in the area, in the early 1900s. The house was demolished in 1932 and the street is now named Cranleigh Street.

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Kensington (Map: G-1) - Fashionable suburb in west London. During Dickens' time the area went from a rural parish of less than 10,000 people to a metropolitan borough of more than 175,000 by 1901 (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 449).

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The Kings Bench Prison (Map: F-10) - Debtor's prison in Southwark built 1755-58 to replace a medieval prison. It was burned during the Gordon Riots in 1780 and rebuilt. It was renamed the Queen's Bench Prison in the 1840s and, after imprisonment for debt was curtailed, became a military prison for a time. It was demolished in 1880 (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 460-461).

Dickens describes the Rules of the King's Bench in Nicholas Nickleby: The place to which Mr Cheeryble had directed him was a row of mean and not over-cleanly houses, situated within 'the Rules' of the King's Bench Prison, and not many hundred paces distant from the obelisk in St George's Fields. The Rules are a certain liberty adjoining the prison, and comprising some dozen streets in which debtors who can raise money to pay large fees, from which their creditors do not derive any benefit, are permitted to reside by the wise provisions of the same enlightened laws which leave the debtor who can raise no money to starve in jail, without the food, clothing, lodging, or warmth, which are provided for felons convicted of the most atrocious crimes that can disgrace humanity. There are many pleasant fictions of the law in constant operation, but there is not one so pleasant or practically humorous as that which supposes every man to be of equal value in its impartial eye, and the benefits of all laws to be equally attainable by all men, without the smallest reference to the furniture of their pockets.

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Kingsgate Street (Map: D-7) - Street in Holborn named after the King’s Gate barrier at its southern end, where King Charles’s coach famously overturned in 1669 (University College London, 2017). The street was demolished in 1902 to make way for Kingsway and Aldwych (Jackson, 2023, pp. 63-65)

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Lambeth (Map: H-7) - During Dickens' time a slum district of river warehouses across from Westminster (Leapman, 1989, p. 141).

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Lambeth Palace (Map: G-7) - The official residence of the archbishop of Canterbury. Extensively rebuilt and restored during the early 19th century (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 471-472).

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Lant Street (Map: F-10) - Street in the Borough where 12-year-old Dickens had lodgings in a rented attic while his father was in the Marshalsea prison for debt. The landlords of the house, Archibald Russell and his wife, were later imortalized by Dickens as the Garlands in The Old Curiosity Shop (Ackroyd, 1990, p. 76).

Dickens describes Lant Street in Pickwick Papers: There is a repose about Lant Street, in the Borough, which sheds a gentle melancholy upon the soul. There are always a good many houses to let in the street: it is a by-street too, and its dulness is soothing. A house in Lant Street would not come within the denomination of a first-rate residence, in the strict acceptation of the term; but it is a most desirable spot nevertheless. If a man wished to abstract himself from the world--to remove himself from within the reach of temptation--to place himself beyond the possibility of any inducement to look out of the window--we should recommend him by all means go to Lant Street.

Lant Street photographed in 1935 for MGM Studios in preparation for filming the 1935 film David Copperfield.

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Leadenhall Street (Map: D-11) - Street and market in the City named for a mansion with a lead roof owned by the Neville family. This area contained extensive Roman ruins (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 477).

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Leicester Square (Map: E-6) - Square laid out in the late 17th century (pronounced les-ter square). In Dickens' time private residences in the square gave way to public buildings as traffic increased. An equestrian statue of George I was erected in the square in 1748, it was removed in 1872 after being vandalized (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 479+870).

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Lincolns Inn Fields (Map: D-8) - Designed by William Newton in the early 1600's as a compromise between the lawyers of Lincoln's Inn and developers wanting to build in the area. Newton was allowed to build around the perimeter of the Fields as long as the central part remained forever open (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 486-487).

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Little Britain (Map: D-9) - Narrow, winding London street, named for the Dukes of Brittany who resided here in the 16th century (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 489).

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37 Little College Street (Map: A-6) - Street in Camden Town. In 1824 twelve-year-old Charles Dickens lived here with Mrs Roylance, a friend of the family, while his father, John Dickens, was imprisoned for debt at the Marshalsea Prison and Charles worked at Warren's Blacking Factory. He spent Sundays with the family in the Marshalsea. For a time after John Dickens' release from prison the entire family lived here. Mrs Roylance became the model for Mrs Pipchin in Dombey and Son (Johnson, 1952, p. 38+42).

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London Bridge (Map: E-11) - Until 1750 London Bridge was the only bridge over the Thames in London. A bridge at this site dates from Roman times. The first stone London Bridge was built in 1176. This bridge eventually had houses, shops, and a church built upon it until they were removed from 1758-1762. In 1831 it was replaced by a granite bridge designed by John Rennie. The Rennie London Bridge was replaced in 1972 and Rennie's bridge was dismantled and rebuilt in Lake Havasu, Arizona (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 496-497).

London Bridge is one of the most often-mentioned locations in Dickens' work. We will list a few examples:

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Ludgate (Map: D-9) - Hill and street named for a gate in the medieval city's wall (removed in 1760) where Fleet Street joins the City (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 517-518). London's first daily newspaper, the Daily Courant, began publication near Ludgate in 1702 thus Fleet Street became the home of London's press (London Remembers).

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Mansion House (Map: D-10) - Official residence of London's Lord Mayor. Built in the mid 18th century by George Dance the Elder. In Dickens' time it also housed a police court over which, as chief magistrate, the Lord Mayor presided and contained holding cells for prisoners (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 525-526).

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The Marshalsea (Map: F-10) - Debtor's prison in Southwark where Dickens' father was imprisoned in 1824. The prison dates from medieval times and was closed in 1842 (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 532).

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Middlesex House of Correction (Map: C-8) - Also known as Cold Bath Fields Prison, it was built in 1794. The prison closed in 1877 and was demolished in 1889 (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 199-200).

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Millbank (Map: H-6) - Area along the north side of the Thames south of Westminster. It was named for the Westminster Abbey mill which once stood at the end of what is now Great College Street, just south of Westminster Abbey (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 551).

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Millbank Penitentiary (Map: H-6) - The Millbank Peniteniary was built between 1813 and 1821 and was the largest prison in London. It closed in 1890 and today the Tate Gallery museum stands on this spot (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 551-552).

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The Monument (Map: E-11) - 200 foot high Doric column on Fish Street Hill, designed by Christopher Wren, marking the site of the origin of the devastating fire that destroyed much of London in September 1666 (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 559).

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Newgate Prison (Map: D-9) - Notorious London prison originally built at the new gate in the Medieval city's wall (Halliday, 2006, p. 3-4). Public executions were moved from Tyburn to Newgate in 1783 and continued until 1868 when executions were moved inside the prison walls (Halliday, 2006, p. 174). The prison was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666 and rebuilt. It was destroyed again during the Gordon Riots of 1780 and rebuilt (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 584-586). New developments in the field of prison reform in the early nineteenth century spelled the decline of Newgate. From 1850 it was used primarily to hold prisoners awaiting trial or execution (Halliday, 2006, p. 232-233). Newgate was sold to the City of London in 1898 for £40,000 and was demolished in 1902. The Old Bailey, London's Central Criminal Court located next door to the prison, was expanded on the site (Halliday, 2006, p. 279-281).

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10 Norfolk Street (Now Cleveland Street) (Map: C-5) - The Dickens family lived here from 1815 to 1817, while Charles was from three to five years old. The family lived here, over a greengrocer's shop, a second time from 1829 to 1831 (Richardson, 2012, p. 85). Charles gave this as his residence when he applied for a reader's ticket at the British Museum in 1830 (Richardson, 2012, p. 190). The building survives as 22 Cleveland Street.

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The Obelisk (Map: G-9) - London landmark which stands in the center of St. George's Circus in Southwark. It was moved to a park in front of the Imperial War Museum in 1905 but was returned to its original location in the late 1990s (Wikipedia).

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9 Osnaburgh Terrace (Map: B-5) - In anticipation of the family's year-long trip to Italy Dickens rented out his home at Devonshire Terrace and took temporary lodgings here from the end of May until the departure for Italy in early July 1844 (Johnson, 1952, p. 504-505).

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Oxford Street (Map: D-4) - A residential street in Dickens' time, development beginning in the early 18th century when fields in the area were purchased by the Earl of Oxford (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 610-611).

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Paddington (Map: C-1) - Area of west London which saw a surge in development after the opening of the Grand Junction Canal in 1801. Paddington Railway Station opened in 1838 and the first underground line, the Metropolitan, opened in 1863 (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 614).

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Pall Mall (Map: E-6) - Broad, elegant street known for fashionable residences and gentlemen's clubs. It derives its name from the Italian croquet-like ball games enjoyed by Charles II (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 619-621).

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Park Lane (Map: E-4) - Unremarkable street along Hyde Park's east edge until the 1820s when a high brick wall along the park was replaced with iron railings and old terrace houses were remodeled or replaced making the street one of the most fashionable in London (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 624-625).

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Paternoster Row (Map: D-9) - Long the center of London's publishing and bookselling trade. The street was heavily bombed during the Blitz of WWII (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 628).

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Pentonville (Map: A-7) - During Dickens' time a new and fashionable area of north London. Developed by Henry Penton, a member of the House of Commons who owned an estate in the area (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 633-634).

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Piccadilly (Map: F-4) - London street in the West End. Named for a 17th century tailor, Robert Baker, who had a shop in the Strand that made high stiff collars called picadils. These collars were very popular at Court and Baker made a fortune which he used to buy land in what is now Piccadilly Circus. In 1612 he built an estate there he called Piccadilly after the collars that made him rich (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 638-640).

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The Polygon (Map: B-6) - Fifteen-sided three-story building comprising 32 homes in Somers Town (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 652). The Dickens family had lodgings at number 17 briefly in 1827 after being evicted from 29 Johnson Street (Ackroyd, 1990, p. 114).

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Pool of London (Map: E-11) - Dock area below London Bridge, farthest point upriver navigable by large ships (Leapman, 1989, p. 46).

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Portland Place (Map: C-5) - Wide, grand street laid out by Robert and James Adam about 1778 and named for the Duke of Portland (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 658-659).

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Portman Square (Map: D-4) - Square built between 1765 and 1784 on land belonging to Henry William Portman (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 659).

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Regent's Park (Map: B-4) - Fashionable north London park and suburb built by John Nash (1752-1835) beginning in 1812 and named for the Prince Regent who supported Nash's plan (Leapman, 1989, p. 124) (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 689). George III, incapacitated by mental illness in 1811, was replaced by his son (called the prince regent), later George IV. The period between 1811 and 1820, when George III died, became known as the Regency period (Fry, 1990, p. 167-175). The Zoological Gardens opened in Regent's Park in 1828 (Leapman, 1989, p. 124).

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Regent Street (Map: D-5)- Fashionable street built between 1813 and 1820, during the Regency period and designed by John Nash (Hayward, 1924, p. 132).

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Royal Exchange (Map: D-11) - The meeting and bartering place for the merchants in the City. During Dickens' time the second Exchange building burned down in 1838 and the present building was opened on 28 October 1844 by Queen Victoria. The building ceased to function as an exchange in 1939 and in 2001, after extensive renovation, was reopened to house shops and restaurants on the ground floor with office space above (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 717-719).

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St Bartholomew's Hospital (Map: D-9) - Founded in 1123, "St Bart's" is London's oldest hospital. Threatened with closure in the 1990s, it was saved and is still in operation today operating as a specialist cancer and cardiac hospital (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 746-747).

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St George's Church (Map: F-10) - Officially St. George the Martyr, this is believed to be the third church built on this site. The present building dates from the 1730s and includes a stained glass window featuring a kneeling figure of Amy Dorrit (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 759).

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St James's Hall (Map: E-6) - Concert hall designed by Owen Jones and opened in March 1858. It became the premier concert hall in London during the 1870s and 80s before competition caused it to close. The hall was demolished in 1905 (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 766).

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St James's Palace (Map: F-5) - Built during the reign of Henry VIII, it became the official residence of the monarchy after a fire destroyed Whitehall palace in 1698. It remained the official royal residence until Queen Victoria moved to Buckingham Palace at the start of her reign (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 767-768).

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St James's Park (Map: F-6) - The oldest of London's royal parks, it was once a swampy field. Henry VIII had the field drained and used the area for recreation. Charles II extended the park and had several small ponds converted into a waterway called the Canal. After a period of decay, the park was revitalized during the reign of George IV in the 1820s, and improvements continued throughout the 19th century (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 768-769).

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St James's Square (Map: E-6) - Laid out in the 1660's on land owned by Henry Jermyn, Earl of St. Albans. It became a fashionable residential area until the middle of the 1800s when businesses and clubs started to replace private houses (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 770).

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St Lukes (Map: B-10) - St Luke's Lunatic Asylum was founded in 1751. The patients were transferred to other institutions in 1916 and the buildings sold to the Bank of England and used to print bank notes. The building was demolished in 1963 (Wikipedia).

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St Luke's Church (Map: H-2) - Stone church built in the 1820s and designed by James Savage. A spire was planned but never built (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 781).

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St Paul's Cathedral (Map: D-9) - Long the focal point of the London skyline, the present St. Paul's Cathedral, built by Sir Christopher Wren from 1675 to 1711, replaced the old gothic cathedral which burned in the Great Fire of 1666. Excavation work done after the Great Fire revealed that a Roman temple dedicated to Diana once stood upon the spot (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 807). St. Paul's is part of the background scenery in many of Dickens' works.

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St Saviour's Church (Map: E-10) - Fourth church built upon this spot, the present gothic church dates from 1220. The church achieved cathedral status, becoming Southwark Cathedral, in 1905. William Shakespeare's brother Edmund is buried here (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 857-858).

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Scotland Yard (Map: E-7) - Home of the London's Metropolitan Police, created by Sir Robert Peel in 1829. Named for a medieval palace on this site in Whitehall reserved for visiting kings and queens of Scotland (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 582-583).

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11 Selwood Terrace (Map: H-1) - Dickens took lodgings here for six months in 1835 to be near his fiance Catherine Hogarth, paying rents both here and at Furnival's Inn (Ackroyd, 1990, p. 171).

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Seven Dials (Map: D-7) - Infamous slum and criminal district where seven streets converge at St. Giles (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 831-831).

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Smithfield (Map: C-9) - London's live cattle market. Cattle were driven through the streets until the mid 19th century. The market was moved to slaughterhouses in Islington in 1855. Smithfield was also the site of the annual Bartholomew's Fair from medieval times until it was forced to close due to rowdiness and debauchery in 1855 (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 842-843).

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Snow Hill (Map: D-9) - Steep and busy street leading from Holborn down to Farringdon Street (Hayward, 1924, p. 144-145).

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Soho Square (Map: D-6) - Area in West London that changed from farmland into a royal park during the reign of Henry VIII and developed into an area of fashionable homes in the late 1600s. During Dickens' time the square housed professional men; doctors, lawyers, architects, and publishing houses (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 846-847).

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16 Somers Place (Map: D-2) Charles Dickens took lodgings here in March 1865 for the London Season while working on Our Mutual Friend and suffering from severe pain in his left leg and foot that would plague him for the rest of his life (Ackroyd, 1990, p. 957).

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Somerset House (Map: E-8) - Originally completed in 1550 and was once a royal residence used by Elizabeth I. It was demolished in 1775 and rebuilt to house government offices (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 849-850).

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Somers Town (Map: B-6) - Suburb in the north of London where a large population of Spanish refugees settled the early 1800s. The Dickens family lived on Johnson Street and in The Polygon in Somers Town in the 1820s (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 848).

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Southwark (Map: F-9) - District south of the Thames which includes the Borough. Southwark (pronounced suth-uck) was the main entry into London from the south and included many coaching inns along Borough High Street (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 855-857).

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Southwark Bridge (Map: E-10) - Designed by John Rennie, built in 1814-1819 and was replaced in 1921 (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 857). Sometimes referred to as Iron Bridge, the bridge was mentioned in Dickens as a quiet place due to the fact that crossing required payment of a penny toll (Little Dorrit, p. 281) whereas nearby London and Blackfriars bridges had no toll.

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6 Southwark Place (Map: D-2) Charles Dickens took lodgings here in the spring of 1866 for the London Season. According to Peter Ackroyd, in his biography Dickens, it was no coincidence that Southwark Place was just around the corner from Somers Place where he had rented the year before. This area, know as Tybernia because of its proximity to the old Tyburn gallows, was considered to be one of the healthiest parts of London (Ackroyd, 1990, p. 973).

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Spitalfields (Map: D-12) - Area east of the city named for the Priory and hospital of St Mary Spital. The area was resettled in the 17th century by French Huguenot refugees (protestants persecuted in France) who established a silk weaving industry there (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 861).

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Staple Inn (Map: D-8) - One of the medieval Inns of Chancery dating back to the 12th century. Although heavily damaged during WWII the building survives to the present day (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 433). Dickens describes Staple Inn in The Mystery of Edwin Drood: Behind the most ancient part of Holborn, London, where certain gabled houses some centuries of age still stand looking on the public way, as if disconsolately looking for the Old Bourne that has long run dry, is a little nook composed of two irregular quadrangles, called Staple Inn. It is one of those nooks, the turning into which out of the clashing street, imparts to the relieved pedestrian the sensation of having put cotton in his ears, and velvet soles on his boots. It is one of those nooks where a few smoky sparrows twitter in smoky trees, as though they called to one another, ‘Let us play at country,’ and where a few feet of garden-mould and a few yards of gravel enable them to do that refreshing violence to their tiny understandings. Moreover, it is one of those nooks which are legal nooks; and it contains a little Hall, with a little lantern in its roof: to what obstructive purposes devoted, and at whose expense, this history knoweth not (The Mystery of Edwin Drood, p. 112).

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Strand (Map: E-7) - Wide thoroughfare that connects Westminster to Fleet Street and the City (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 882-884). As a child Dickens worked at Warren's Blacking factory at Hungerford stairs in the west side of the Strand (Ackroyd, 1990, p. 67-68). The offices of the Morning Chronicle, where Dickens worked as a reporter, was in the Strand (Davis, 1999, p. 369). Later the offices of Household Words and All the Year Round, his weekly journals, were located in Wellington Street in the Strand (Davis, 1999, p. 405).

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Tavistock House (Map:B-6) - Dickens' home from 1851 to 1860 located at Tavistock Square (Davis, 1999, p. 383). While living here Dickens and his wife, Catherine, separated (Johnson, 1952, p. 918). He purchased Gads Hill Place, near Rochester, in 1856 and for four years maintained both residences (Davis, 1999, p. 144). Tavistock House was demolished in 1900 (Hardwick et al, 1973, p. 292).

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The Temple (Map: D-8) - Legal district in London originally occupied by the Knights Templar, who protected pilgrims on their journey to the Holy Land. The Temple consists of two Inns of Court, Inner Temple and Middle Temple, with Temple Church between them (Davis, 1999, p. 383). In Dickens' time the Temple included residential accommodation.

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Temple Bar (Map: D-8) - Archway, designed by Wren, used to mark the border between the City and Westminster where Fleet Street becomes the Strand. The heads of executed criminals once announced their example from pikes on Temple Bar. The archway caused major traffic congestion and was removed in 1878. It now stands in Paternoster Square near St Paul's Cathedral (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 909-910).

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Thames Street (Map: E-10) - Street running along the river in the City from Blackfriars Bridge to the Tower of London (Hayward, 1924, p. 153).

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Threadneedle Street (Map: D-11) - Street in The City whose main feature is the Bank of England, known as "The Old Lady of Threadneedle Street" (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 916-917).

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Tottenham Court Road (Map: D-6) - Street running north from St Giles Circus. A market street in Dickens' time, home to many drapers shops (Davis, 1999, p. 391).

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Tower of London (Map: E-12) - The original central tower, now known as the White Tower, was built shortly after the Norman conquest by William the Conqueror who ruled England as William I. Subsequent rings of fortification were added later. It was used as a royal residence as well as a prison and place of execution until Elizabethan times. England's child king, Edward V, and his brother were murdered in the Tower in 1483 supposedly by their uncle, Richard III. The crown jewels are guarded here by the Beefeaters (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 924-933).

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Trafalgar Square (Map: E-6) - Created during the 1830's and 1840's the Square replaced the royal stables. It is named for the Spanish cape Trafalgar. It was off this cape that Admiral Nelson defeated the Spanish and French fleets in 1805. Nelson's Column, at the Square, commemorates this victory (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 934-936).

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Tyburn (Map: D-3) - Principal place of public execution from 1388 until 1783. Prisoners were conveyed, often accompanied by merry-making from crowds along the route, in carts down Oxford Street from Newgate Prison. After 1783 executions were carried out at either Newgate Prison or Horsemonger Lane Gaol (Ackroyd, 2000, p. 285-295).

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30 Upper Norton Street (Map: C-5) - Now called Bolsover Street (Wikipedia). With the birth of their son Charley the Dickens family had outgrown their chambers at Furnival's Inn. Dickens rented temporary lodgings at 30 Upper Norton Street during March of 1837 until the family took possession of their new home at 48 Doughty Street in early April (Ackroyd, 1990, p. 221).

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Vauxhall Bridge (Map: H-7) - A cast iron bridge, the first in London over the Thames, completed in 1816 and was originally called Regent's Bridge. During Dickens' time it was a toll bridge. It was replaced in 1906 (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 968).

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Vauxhall Gardens (Map: H-7) - Fashionable garden resort of the 18th and early 19th centuries. Jonathon Tyers made extensive improvements in the gardens in the mid 1700's and it became one of London's favorite public attractions. Concerts, plays, and even fireworks entertained the crowds there. By the mid 1800's the park had fallen out of favor and drew more disreputable crowds. The gardens were closed in 1859 (Leapman, 1989, p. 270-271).

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Walworth (Map: H-10) - Area of south London popular for the Surrey Zoological Gardens in the mid 1800s. Competition from the Crystal Palace in the 1850s caused a decrease in popularity and the animals and gardens were auctioned off. The Surrey Gardens Music Hall, which could accommodate 12,000 people, was built on the site (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 900).

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Wapping (Map: F-13) - East London riverside district, home of the London Docks built in the early 19th century causing much of the residential area to be demolished (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 982-983).

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Warren's Blacking Factory (Map: E-7) - Boot polish factory where 12-year-old Dickens was sent to work, fixing labels to bottles of blacking, to help support his family while his father was in the Marshalsea debtor's prison. Dickens had dreams of becoming a gentleman and was humiliated to be working with the rough men and boys at the factory. The experience had a major impact on Dickens later life and works and also on his relationship with his mother who, after Charles left the factory as the result of a quarrel between his father and the owners of the factory, argued unsuccessfully to have him sent back (Forster, 1899, v. 1, p. 22-39). Warren's Blacking Factory was located at 30 Hungerford Stairs, the Strand. A ferry operated at the stairs until 1845 when Hungerford foot bridge opened , hoping to spur trade at Hungerford Market. The market was torn down in 1860 to make way for Charing Cross railway station and the footbridge was replaced by a railway bridge in 1863. The railway company argued that few people used the footbridge due to the smell from the river (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 420-421).

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Warren's Blacking Factory 2 (Map: E-7) - During Dickens' time at the boot-blacking factory the establishment moved from Hungerford Stairs to this location at the corner of Chandos Street and Bedford Street. At this location 12-year-old Charles was forced to perform his duties before a window opened to the public street, humiliating him further. After John Dickens was released from the Marshalsea he happened to pass this window and see his son at work which led to Charles being taken from the factory and returned to school...although his mother was "warm for my being sent back" (Johnson, 1952, p. 43-44).

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Waterloo Bridge (Map: E-8) - Designed by John Rennie, Waterloo Bridge opened in 1817. Originally to be named Strand Bridge, the name was changed to commemorate Wellington's victory over Napoleon in 1815 at Waterloo. It was demolished in 1936 and its replacement was built from 1937-1942 and designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 991-992).

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Wellington House Academy (Map: A-5) - Charles Dickens was enrolled here after leaving the Blacking Factory and while living in Johnson Street. The school was run by stern headmaster William Jones who would later be immortalized as Mr Creakle of Salem House Academy in David Copperfield. Dickens attended the school from June 1824 until the spring of 1827 (Johnson, 1952, p. 47-51).

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Wellington Street (Map: D-7) - Lower Wellington Street was built in 1833-35 over the site of the English Opera House which burned down in 1830. The Upper section was originally name Charles Street after Charles I, it had become notorious for brothels and in 1844 it was renamed Upper Wellington Street in an attempt to make it sound more respectable (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 996). Editorial offices for Dickens' weekly magazines Household Words and All the Year Round were located in Wellington Street (Johnson, 1952, p. 702+944). Dickens kept an apartment over the office during the 1860s following his separation from his wife Catherine (Slater, 2009, p. 474).

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Westminster (Map: G-5) - Area of West London that houses Britain's governmental offices. Whitehall, St James's Palace, Buckingham Palace, and Westminster Abbey are located here.

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Westminster Abbey (Map: F-6) - The most famous of England's churches. The church was built by Edward the Confessor and consecrated on December 28, 1065, Edward died eight days later and was buried before the high altar. The Abbey was rebuilt in its present Gothic style starting in 1245. Henry VII added his Chapel shortly before his death in 1509 (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 1004-1009). Every English monarch since William the Conqueror in 1066 have been crowned here except Edward V and Edward VIII (Fry, 1990, p. 18). Many of England's kings and queens are buried at Westminster Abbey as are many of its famous citizens including Chaucer, Newton, and Darwin (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 1004-1009). Charles Dickens was buried in Poet's Corner, in the Abbey on June 14, 1870 (Davis, 1999, p. 405).

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Westminster Bridge (Map: F-7) - Westminster Bridge was the second bridge over the Thames, after London Bridge. Built of stone, work began in 1738 and was completed in 1750. This bridge was replaced in 1862 (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 1009).

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Whitechapel (Map: D-13) - Area located outside the walled city along the main route into London from Essex. Named for the whitewashed Chapel of St Mary that became a parish church around 1338. Noted for many coaching inns to accommodate travelers in Dickens' time (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 1016). It was later made famous for the Jack the Ripper murders (Ackroyd, 2000, p. 265).

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Whitehall (Map: F-6) - Thoroughfare through Westminster named for the royal palace built here in 1532 by Henry VIII. The prime minister's residence of number 10 Downing street and other government offices are located here (Weinreb et al, 2008, p. 1019).

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Whitehall Banqueting House (Map: F-7) - Designed by Inigo Jones in 1622 and featuring ceiling paintings by Peter Paul Rubens, it survived a fire that destroyed much of Whitehall in 1698. Charles I was beheaded on a scaffold in front of the building in January 1649.

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Windsor Terrace (Map: B-10) - Street off of City Road in north London (Hayward, 1924, p. 168).

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Notes:

1 - Drawings of old London by Philip Norman. Victoria and Albert Museum. Dept. of Engraving, Illustration, and Design,Norman, Philip, 1842-1931



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