Great Expectations as Dickens' London home reopens after £3.1 million makeover

By TRAVELMAIL REPORTER

Published: 06:12 EST, 5 December 2012 | Updated: 06:12 EST, 5 December 2012

Charles Dickens' former London home will reopen next week - in the wake of a £3.1 million revamp that has restored it to a state the author himself could have recognised. 

The Charles Dickens Museum, in Bloomsbury, was family home to the 19th century genius between 1837 and 1839.

And from Monday, visitors will be able to tour the house where he pened Oliver Twist and Nicholas Nickleby, and finished writing The Pickwick Papers - stripped as far as possible of modern additions.

Writing magic: A view of the study where Dickens did most of his writing

The museum aims to give the impression that the author is still resident - and has just popped outside.

Dickens described number 48 Doughty Street, an elegant terraced Georgian property, as 'my house in town'. It was where two of his daughters were born and his sister-in-law Mary died at the tragically young age of 17. Needing more space for his growing family, Dickens moved to 1 Devonshire Terrace, in west London, in 1839.

The 'Great Expectations Project', funded largely through the Heritage Lottery Fund, has also restored neighbouring 49 Doughty Street to include a visitor and learning centre and cafe, and will welcome regular school trips for the first time.

Visitors will be able to tour Dickens' dining room, complete with place names for famous visitors such as William Macready, the great Shakespearian actor of the time.

The Portsmouth native's marriage licence and his original writing and reading desk, designed by himself, are among a series of items and documents on display.

Past triumphs: Dickens' writing desk (left) is on display, while the dining room appears ready for guests

History in the making: Dickens' sister-in-law Mary died aged 17 in one of the upstairs bedrooms

The museum also includes photographs, on display to the public for the first time, of the 1865 railway accident in Staplehurst, Kent, in which Dickens was involved.

Fans will be able to view costumes from the recent adaptation of Great Expectations, including Helena Bonham Carter's Miss Havisham and Ralph Fiennes's Magwitch costumes.

Revamp: The outside of Dickens' house in Bloomsbury is ready for visitors

Man at work: A rather thoughtful Dickens

The redesign, which opens the attic and kitchen of the house for the first time, has transformed the museum, first opened in 1925.

After Dickens, the house remained a residential property but came under the shadow of the wrecking ball in 1923. The Dickens Fellowship took on the property, but it eventually became viewed by visitors as 'atmospheric but tired and slightly shabby', current director Florian Schweizer said.

He revealed the redesign included detailed work studying the wallpapers of the time portrayed in paintings and illustrations. The museum does not use traditional signs - instead using booklets, modelled on the installments written by Dickens.

Dr Schweizer added that the museum intended to convey the 'ingrained' theatrical side to Dickens' nature, and his taste for bright clothing.

The house is now accessible to wheelchair users in all areas apart from the top floor - with touch screens available for viewing the area on the floor below.

Dr Schweizer said Dickens was still 'very much alive' as an author, both in the UK and across the world.

He explained: 'He continues to inspire artists, film-makers and directors, and it is no exaggeration to say that he is still one of the most influential writers, even in 2012.'

The renovation comes in the year that marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Dickens in Portsmouth, Hampshire.