Eastgate House is a Grade I listed Elizabethan townhouse in Rochester, Kent, England. It is notable for its association with author Charles Dickens, featuring as Westgate in The Pickwick Papers and as the Nun’s House in The Mystery of Edwin Drood.
When did Charles Dickens live in Rochester?
Dickens bought the house in 1856 and moved there in 1860 after the separation from Catherine. He died there on June 9, 1870.
What is the connection between Charles Dickens and Rochester?
Charles Dickens is fused in the public imagination with the streets of Victorian London but it was really Rochester and the surrounding area near the Medway River that holds the key to the beloved author’s imagination. Dickens before his father was sent to debtor’s prison and Dickens himself to a workhouse.
Where did Charles Dickens live in Chatham?
18 St. Mary’s Place, Chatham
The Dickens family moved to The Brook, 18 St. Mary’s Place, Chatham.
When did Charles Dickens live in Chatham?
The Dickens family first moved to Chatham in 1817 and lived at Ordnance Terrace until 1821. Rochester.
Did Charles Dickens live in Rochester Kent?
The great writer Charles Dickens is one of Medway’s proudest claims to fame. Dickens’ childhood years in Rochester and Chatham greatly influenced his future life and career, and it was his fondness for the area which later brought him back to live here as a global superstar.
What’s Rochester famous for?
Rochester comprises numerous important historic buildings, the most prominent of which are the Guildhall, the Corn Exchange, Restoration House, Eastgate House, as well as Rochester Castle and Rochester Cathedral. Many of the town centre’s old buildings date from as early as the 14th century up to the 18th century.
Will Rochester become a city again?
The Government have made clear that city status will be granted only to an area with a local authority, which rules out a return of city status solely to historic Rochester, since it has neither a parish nor a district council of its own.
Is Medway a poor area?
Medway is ranked 150th most deprived borough overall in 2007, a decline from 160th in 2004, indicating that the borough is now relatively more deprived. In ID 2007, 5 SOAs are ranked in the 10% most deprived nationally and 16 SOAs are ranked in the 20% most deprived.
Is Rochester UK a nice place to live?
Rochester is a fab place to live. High street has new shops and restaurants opening all the time and is so pretty with the cathedral and castle. Commute to London is good too.
Where did Charles Dickens stay in Kent?
Dickens stayed at what is now the Royal Albion Hotel, and rented various houses locally, but his favourite was Fort House, which still overlooks Viking Bay. Close by is the home of Mary Pearson Strong, the model for Betsey Trotwood in David Copperfield, which is now the Dickens House Museum.
Where did Dickens live in Kent?
In 1850 Charles Dickens took residence at Fort House, now known as Bleak House. Can you see it on the skyline to the north? It was from here, overlooking “fishing boats in the tiny harbour”, that he penned David Copperfield and the essay Our English Watering Place.
Where did Charles Dickens live most of his life?
Dickens left Portsmouth in infancy. His happiest childhood years were spent in Chatham (1817–22), an area to which he often reverted in his fiction. From 1822 he lived in London, until, in 1860, he moved permanently to a country house, Gad’s Hill, near Chatham.
Where did Dickens write Bleak house?
Dickens locates the fictional Bleak House in St Albans, Hertfordshire, where he wrote some of the book. An 18th-century house in Folly Lane, St Albans, has been identified as a possible inspiration for the titular house in the story since the time of the book’s publication and was known as Bleak House for many years.
Did Charles Dickens go to the workhouse?
To pay for his board and to help his family, Dickens was forced to leave school and work ten-hour days at Warren’s Blacking Warehouse, on Hungerford Stairs, near the present Charing Cross railway station, where he earned six shillings a week pasting labels on pots of boot blacking.
Who inherited Charles Dickens Estate?
Dickens died aged 58 in 1869, a very wealthy man – his estate worth the equivalent of £50 million pounds today. He left money to all 9 of his surviving children.
What is the name of Charles Dickens house in Kent?
Bleak House
Charles Dickens leased Fort House from the 1840s till 1852. It was there in that “airy nest” above the harbour that he wrote David Copperfield. Fort House was dubbed Bleak House in the early part of the 20th century. Somebody asserted that it was the Bleak House referred to in Dickens’ 1853 novel, and the name stuck.
How did Rochester get its name?
Of the 19 places in the United States named Rochester, at least 8 were named directly after Rochester, New York, having been founded or settled by former residents.
Is Rochester a Roman town?
Romans came over in 43AD and made Rochester one of their most important towns by building a stronghold and a bridge over the River Medway. It wasn’t until 1088 after the Norman invasion that Rochester had its first stone castle built on the remains of the old Roman Fort.
Does Rochester have a nickname?
Rochester was first known as “the Young Lion of the West”, and then as the “Flour City”. By 1838, it was the largest flour-producing city in the United States. Having doubled its population in only 10 years, Rochester became America’s first “boom town”.
Is Rochester worth visiting?
A delight for lovers of history and culture, with its iconic landmarks, literary connections and unique shopping and dining options, this city offers something to explore around every corner. Last year Rochester’s most popular attraction marked 800 years since one of its defining moments.