Charles Dickens

His Life in London through Letters and Original Manuscripts

We shall spend 3 days in London and Kent to experience Charles Dickens through his original manuscripts. We shall enjoy readings by his descendants from his original and often unseen letters at the Dickens Museum; we shall visit his house at Gad’s Hill and the Swiss Chalet in which he died; we shall be entertained by Gerald Dickens in his One Man Show and we shall take in the musical “Oliver!” at the Gielgud Theatre.

Finally, we shall view original manuscripts taken from the Forster Collection at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. These will be the full manuscript or excerpts, depending upon the title:

Oliver Twist

The Old Curiosity Shop

Barnaby Rudge

American Notes

Martin Chuzzlewit

The Chimes

David Copperfield

Bleak House

Hard Times

Little Dorrit

A Tale of Two Cities

The Mystery of Edwin Drood

 

Twenty-two chapters of Oliver Twist were bequeathed to the V&A in 1870 by one of Dickens' closest friends and the author of his first biography, John Forster. The rest of the manuscripts came to the V&A in 1876 as part of the Forster’s library. To join us please email mark@originalmanuscriptsociety.com

SCHEDULE


Monday 28 July 2025

14:00 - START OF EVENT
Welcome by Mark Dickens, great-great-grandson of Charles Dickens
14:30 - “Dickens - His Life in London whilst living at 48 Doughty Street”
by Lucinda Hawksley, great-great-great-granddaughter of Charles Dickens
15:30 - Leave Savoy to Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A)  
16:00 - PRIVATE VIEWING OF ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPTS AT THE V&A  
17:30 - Leave V&A
20:00 - Supper with Special Guests

—x—

Tuesday 29 July 2025

09:00 - Dickens Walking Tour of London (optional)  
11:00 - Dickens Museum at 48/49 Doughty Street - Tour
12:00 - Dickens: His life in original letters (Part One)
read aloud by Ollie Dickens, great-great-great grandson of Charles Dickens
13:00 - Lunch at Dickens Museum
14:00 - Dickens: His life in original letters read aloud (Part Two)  
15:30 - Tea at Dickens Museum
16:00 - Dickens: His life in original letters read aloud (Part Three)    
18:00 - One Man Show “Doctor Marigold” at Dickens Museum
by Gerald Dickens, great-great-grandson of Charles Dickens    
20:00 - Dinner at Rules Restaurant, a favourite of Dickens

—x—
   
Wednesday 30 July 2025

08:00 - Leave London for Rochester, Kent
10:00 - Visit to his "Writing Hut"in Rochester - the Swiss Chalet given to him in 1864 where he died  
11:30 - Visit to Gad's Hill House near Rochester, Kent
13:00 - Lunch at Gad's Hill House  
14:00 - Return to London for free time  
18:30 - Oliver! at the Gielgud Theatre with VIP package to include supper:
”it's well worth picking a pocket or two for this simply glorious musical revival”
Group photograph and end of Event

—x— 

Please note that this schedule is subject to change
We hope to involve renowned Dickens actors in this schedule

—x—

How to join us….nothing to pay now

There are 30 places available for this three day event.
We shall make suggestions for those who wish to make this part of a holiday
and stay for more than the three nights.

The cost of the Event is £4,975 per person
(accommodation not included - please see FAQ’s below)

VAT at 20% is payable in addition for all Guests.

A donation will be made to the Dickens Museum and to the V&A to assist
with the preservation of documents and buildings for future generations.

No need to pay now - just register your interest in joining us here:
mark@originalmanuscriptsociety.com

We shall ask for payment when we have 19 people keen to join us.
We have 5 interested Guests as at 09:00 UK time on 2 April 2025.

We are unable to accept bookings for less than the entire three days.
Please see the FAQ’s below.

To reserve your place, please email:
mark@originalmanuscriptsociety.com

FAQ’s  

  • The cost is all inclusive and includes:

    The Event starts at 14:00 on Monday 28 July 2025. All transportation from the start of the Event to the end is provided.

    No accommodation is provided (please see separate FAQ on this)

    All food and drink on the trip (a generous amount of wine and alcoholic/soft drinks will be served at lunch and dinner – any drinks required other than at meal times are at your own expense).

    Lectures.

    The presence of any Members of the Dickens family, any Actors, Morten Solvik, Marina Mahler and Mark Strachan.

    All guides and tickets to venues, including the V&A, the Dickens Museum, Gad’s Hill and the Swiss Chalet.

    The Private Viewing of the original manuscripts at the V&A.

  • No need to pay now.

    When we reach 19 people who would like to come, we shall ask for the total payment to be paid by electronic transfer to our UK bank account to confirm your place(s).

    The cost per person is £4,975 plus VAT.

    We shall email you the bank details for UK and International payments.

    Please note that the cost is non-refundable should you decide not to attend. Full terms and conditions are available in these FAQ’s.

  • Your travel to and from the Event is not included.

    Please make your own way to the start of the Event at 14:00 on Monday 28 July 2025 and back home again after the Event has ended (we shall make suggestions to you if you wish to stay in London or elsewhere after the Event has finished).

    We shall give you detailed instructions how to get to the meeting place for the start of the Event by car/train/taxi etc.

  • Accommodation is not included.

    We have made this decision for several reasons:

    Firstly, we would be required to book hotel rooms well in advance and because we will not know how many people are attending until near the Event, we would not wish to let anyone down.

    Secondly, the hotels would require upfront payment whilst not knowing how many Guests will attend. This increases the risk for OMS Events Limited.

    Thirdly, experience tells us that some Guests wish to make their own arrangements for accommodation and this means they ask for a price for the Event less accommodation. Added to the number of single/twin/double rooms requested, this all adds to the complexity of making sure you enjoy the event to the full.

    Finally, you may have friends or colleagues with whom you might like to stay either in Vienna or nearby.

    In conclusion, it seems to us that it makes sense all round for you to make your own accommodation decisions.

  • Yes. You will see the menus well in advance to make your choices.

  • We are visiting several old properties and they may not have step-free access. We shall visit each location before 31 January 2025 to create a risk assessment for each location and will report to each Guest(s) by email. At the time of writing, we cannot be sure that any or all locations will have step-free access.

  • The Original Manuscript Society (OMS) is operated and run by OMS Events Limited, a UK limited company number 15645061 with VAT Number 479 5753 27.

    The OMS will put on this Event as advertised on the website www.originalmanuscriptsociety.com from time to time. It mentions on the website that the schedule may change. 

    Payment.
    Once 19 people have registered interest to join the Event, OMS requires the total charge (plus any VAT) as advertised on the website www.originalmanuscriptsociety.com. An invoice will be sent. All bookings will be for the full three nights, covering three separate days, from the START of the Event at 14:00 local time on Monday 28 July 2025 to the END of the Event oin Wednesday 30 July 2025. We cannot accept bookings for less than the three-day Event.

    Cancellation by OMS.
    If OMS cancels the entire Event of its own volition, a full refund of all monies will be made. PLEASE NOTE: there will be no refund due from cancellation at any time due to sickness, disease, significant transportation issues, closure of any visitor attractions, civil unrest, bad weather or any last minute changes to the schedule or any event outside the control of OMS. Guests are encouraged to take out their own travel insurance cover. Please take the time to digest the implication of this clause.

    UK Sales Tax.
    There is 20% VAT to pay by all Gusts which we shall pass on to the UK Government.

    What is included.
    The cost includes:

    ·      All transportation from the START of the Event at 15:00 on Monday 28 July 2025 to the END of the Event.

    ·      All food and drink on the trip (a generous amount of alcohol/soft drinks will be served at the lunch and dinner restaurants – any drinks required other than at meal times are at the guest’s own expense). Restaurant menus will be circulated in advance and dietary requirements will be catered for. We shall not accept any liability of the effect of any food allergies being contravened. It is the responsibility of the Guest(s) to check that all food is suitable to be consumed.

    ·     All Lectures.

    ·      The presence of any members of the Dickens family, any Actors involved, Morten Solvik, Marina Mahler and Mark Strachan throughout.

    ·      All lectures and readings.

    ·      All guides and tickets to venues whilst in London, to include Oliver! At the Guilgud Theatre.

    ·      The Private Viewing of the original manuscripts.

    Transport.
    Guest(s) are provided with luxury transport from the start of the Event at 15:00 on Monday 28 July 2025 to the end of the Event. If Guest(s) decide to take alternative transport at any time during the Event, this must be paid for separately and we shall not change or amend the schedule to take into account any delays etc experienced by this alternative transport. This is important. We cannot delay the Event for everyone else if you experience delays by choosing separate transportation. You will be referred to this clause if this occurs. No refund will be made for the use of alternative transportation nor for any part of the Event missed by the choice of alternative transport. In particular, if the choice of separate transport results in missing the private viewing of the original manuscripts, no refund of any sort can be made.

    Drink.
    Ample alcoholic and soft drinks at meal times are included in the cost of the Event. Any drinks outside the serving of meals should be purchased by the Guest(s) separately.

    Behaviour.
    OMS expects our valued Guests to treat each other, OMS staff and anyone they meet during the Event, with respect and kindness. Any behaviour by a Guest(s) which the OMS staff in their absolute discretion regard as unacceptable may result in that Guest(s) being asked to leave the Event with immediate effect. Please take note of this clause.

    Step-free access.
    We cannot guarantee that any of the venues we visit have step-free access.

    Dated 17 March 2025.