I asked Charles Dickens to share his favourite places in London and a few secrets. Tales of my City is a series where I interview a ghost of London past. It’s a flight of fancy and entirely fictional, but peppered with some fun facts for anyone planning a Charles Dickens London walk.
“Dick – do you mind if I call you Dick?”
“No, you may not. But do call me Boz.”
What do you think of the colour photograph released for your 150th anniversary?
Colourised Charles Dickens, 1859, originally by Herbert Watkins. Credit: Charles Dickens Museum, Oliver Clyde.
I think I look rather dashing, if you don’t mind me saying Londoness. There is still some debate about whether my eyes are green or blue. Can you guess?
Go-to pub?
I do enjoy whitebait (with a side of brown bread and butter) at the Trafalgar Tavern in Greenwich.
What’s your tipple?
Ale, gin, rum, brandy – I am not fussy. As you may already know, I like to round off my evening with toasted cheese (no, not a cheese toastie, simply melted cheese). I often satisfy my cheese and champagne fetish at Champagne + Fromage where they serve tartiflette, raclette and a whole baked Mont d’or.
If you could have dinner with a special guest who would it be?
I would be pleased to share my supper with Simon Callow. We are mutual fans.
Talk me through a Charles Dickens London walk
Start at St Clement Danes Church and walk down the Strand towards Trafalgar Square. Turn down Whitehall past No 10 Downing Street and the Cenotaph and onto Parliament Square. Head down to the river on Victoria Embankment and wind your way to Temple and then to Blackfriars. You could stop at the Blackfriar for a quick snifter.
Favourite shop?
Fortnum and Mason, of course! Their picnic hampers are non pareil. “Look where I will… I see Fortnum & Mason. All the hampers fly wide open and the green downs burst into a blossom of lobster salad!” Find them at Fortnum and Mason on Piccadilly.
Cat or dog lover?
I once had a spaniel called Timber Doodle and a cat called Bob. I also had a pet raven named Grip who is now stuffed and perched at the Free Library of Philadelphia. If you come to my home at 48 Doughty Street, chances are you will meet Bill Sikes, the house hedgehog.
Where are you buried?
Poets’ Corner, Westminster Abbey, but I do wish that Rochester Cathedral had been my final resting place.
Do you have a favourite museum?
The home of my great friend, Thomas Carlyle on Cheyne Row. It is now owned by the National Trust and well worth a visit: Carlyle’s House.
Where do you buy your flowers?
The Columbia Road Flower Market. My friend Angela Burdett-Coutts built the grand Columbia Market nearby. Scarlet geraniums are my favourite.
Share a secret with me…
I love mirrors. I use them not just for looking at my good self but also to work on the facial expressions of my characters.
If you could choose another career…
I always fancied myself as a bit of an actor. I performed in amateur theatricals in front of Queen Victoria, and Her Majesty considered one of my theatrical performances to be the best that she had ever seen.
Your favourite London oddity?
The Old Curiosity Shop in Holborn. Built in 1567, it is one of the oldest shops in London and now sells shoes, a quirky stop on any Charles Dickens London walk. You may think it inspired my Old Curiosity Shop, but I couldn’t possibly comment.
Where do you let your hair down?
Truefitt and Hill, founded in 1805, is the finest groomer in London. My good friend Thackeray is also a patron.
Fashion accessory you won’t be seen without…
Gloves.
Follow a Charles Dickens London walk today
Boz may be a figment of my imagination, but you can follow his footsteps on a Charles Dickens London walk. Start at the Charles Dickens Museum at 48 Doughty Street, the only surviving London home of the author. Then try a pint and whitebait at the Trafalgar Tavern, pay your respects in Poets’ Corner and peek inside the Old Curiosity Shop. Opening times change, so check each website before you go.
This interview was first written in 2020 to mark the 150th anniversary of Charles Dickens’ death. Opening times and menus change, so please check before you visit.