Weekend Dose of Culture

So this weekend I would take a trip back in to the past to the world of famous novelist Charles Dickens and his home on 48 Doughty Street.

Tucked away from the hustle and bustle of Holborn and Bloomsbury you could quite easily miss this gem of a museum. Home to the Dickens family in the late 1830's you can explore the life of one our most beloved writers and social reformers. From his glamorous dining room where he hosted his contemporaries to the desk in his study where he wrote some of his greatest novels each room weaves a tale of Victorian life.


I've long been a fan of Charles Dickens, so much so that he featured in my dissertation and I class Great Expectations as one of my favourite novels, and its a museum I've long wished to visit. It's not the largest museum I've visited, but it's like an Aladdin's cave packed with facts, quotes and trinkets that will leave any Dickensian fan giddy with excitement.

I'm certainly eager to return for one of their literary evening performances. Who wouldn't want to hear a reading of a classic Dickens tale by a roaring fire.


Five Things I Learnt:

1. In the Victorian period it was not uncommon to have a hedgehog living in the kitchen. Their purpose? To eat all the insects of course 

2. This wasn't Charles Dickens only London home, but its the only one you can visit  

3. He may only have lived there for only two years, but he wasted no time. He completed The Pickwick Papers and wrote in its entirety Oliver Twist and Nicholas Nickleby

4. Most of his characters were inspired by real life experiences. Little Nell in the Old Curiosity Shop was based on his sister in law and his tales of characters living in Marshalsea Prison were based on his own experience of his father being imprisoned in a debtors prison

5. Dickens was a great orator. People would often come over for dinner and expect a theatrical reading
 
The Charles Dickens Museum

Extras: For a small museum it's packed with lots of events that take place all year round. At the moment you can go behind the scenes of BBC drama series Dickensian - the dresses on display are beautiful and I want to wear them all.

Cost:£9

Opening Dates: All year round expect for public holidays
Website: http://dickensmuseum.com

 

Last Chance Culture

So this weekend I suggest you set sail for the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich to check out the amazing Samuel Pepys exhibition which is due to close at the end of the month.

A day off work last week found me venturing south of the river to indulge my interest in the famous diarist Samuel Pepys. The exhibition takes you on a journey through his life, from the teenager who witnessed the execution of the Charles I in 1649 through to the Great Fire of London which devastated our capital in 1666.

His life and the life of those from the 17th Century is cleverly brought to life with costumes (including gloves worn by Charles I) before his execution, documents and paintings. However; it was the digital and interactive elements which marks this exhibition as one of my favourites of 2016 so far. Sit back and watch a silhouette performance of Macbeth or see how the fire of London spread and destroyed buildings via an interactive map. 

One thing you'll certainly take away is how naughty the court of Charles II was and how the actresses of the age not only ruled the stage, but also the hearts of men and the monarchy although maybe not the women - duly note Catherine Pepys (the wife of Samuel) description of popular stage actress Mary Davis "the most impertinent slut...in the world."

Why not complete your visit with a leisurely stroll (well depending on the path you take) through Greenwich Park to enjoy the views of our grand city.

Five things I learnt:

1. In 1665 around 20% of Britain's population died in the Great Plague. The exact figure was around 100,000 people
 
2. The amount of land destroyed by the Great Fire of London in 1666 was the equivalent to 247 football pitches 
 
3. When the Great Fire started Samuel Pepys sent his money to Bethnal Green and buried his parmesan cheese and wine in his garden for safe keeping 
 
4. Samuel Pepys was at one point in his life imprisoned in the Tower of London
 
5. He also became the President of the Royal Society despite not being a scientist. He confessed that he didn't understand a lot of the research shared by some members of the society

Samuel Pepys: Plague, Fire, Revolution Exhibition

Where: National Maritime Museum, Greenwich
Getting there: Cutty Sark (DLR) is the nearest tube

Cost:£12

Opening Dates: Closes 28th March 2016
Website: www.rmg.co.uk