Bring London to life through the eyes of your favourite Dickensian characters.
This app leads you through the streets of London on a series of unexpected cultural encounters. Your guides are characters from the works of Charles Dickens, who introduce you to dozens of places mentioned in the novels – and the stories behind them. You discover more about Dickens’ eventful life and some of the secrets of Victorian London.
Dickens London Trails uses four famous Dickens characters to link a series of London locations under four broad themes:
Childhood, poverty and power
- Artful Dodger (Oliver Twist)
- From the Foundling Hospital to Cleveland Street Workhouse, visit some of the places that informed Dickens’ writing about social issues.
Women
- Lady Dedlock (Bleak House)
- Learn about women’s lot on this wide-ranging trail embracing marriages real and fictional, health, poverty and philanthropy – with the odd murder and ghost thrown in.
Food, drink and leisure
- Samuel Pickwick (Pickwick Papers)
- The founder and perpetual president of the Pickwick Club invites you to join him in some of London’s most famous pubs, coffee houses and places of entertainment.
Crime and punishment
- Abel Madwitch
- From Seven Dials to Jacob’s island, discover the impact of criminality and the law on Victorian lives.
You can follow the characters’ individual trails or choose any London location and we’ll show you all the places nearby.
Notes:
- This updated version of the Dickens Trails App brings iPhone 5 compatibility as well as a few minor improvements.
- Dickens London Trails is part of the Digital R&D Fund for Arts and Culture supported by the Arts Council England, the Arts and Humanities Research Council and NESTA.