Private A Christmas Carol Walking Tour of London

At the first stop, it will be revealed how the Dickens family's financial difficulties in the 1820s led to the twelve-year-old Charles having to work at Warren’s Blacking factory at Hungerford Stairs. This traumatic chapter in Dickens’ childhood instilled a great fear of poverty in the future literary genius. The guide will reveal how much of Dickens’ work was inspired by the event and how it was kept secret by Dickens for his whole life.

Dickens knew this street well and it has hardly changed since it was laid out in 1730. Craven Street was the home of two American Founding Fathers and a contemporary American literary rival to Dickens also stayed here. Although the two writers never met you will learn what macabre event they both attended. Dickens was accompanied by John Leech, the illustrator of A Christmas Carol and the guide will explain the illustrator's importance to the famous story. And what feature of Doctor David Rees’ house inspired one the most famous images in literary history?

Your guide will explain how the stories of Charles Dickens were very often, quickly turned into plays and most of the time without his consent and without him receiving any money. A Christmas Carol was turned into theatrical productions very quickly but Dickens did have an official version at the Adelphi Theatre. Your guide will reveal how theatre had a huge impact on the popularity of A Christmas Carol and Dickens’ other Christmas books.

At the former site of Dickens’ publishers Chapman and Hall, the guide will reveal the genesis of A Christmas Carol. By the early 1840s, Charles Dickens was world famous so why was he having money problems, and how did this influence the creation of one of the world’s most famous stories? Hear how this quintessential London story was actually thought up during Dickens’ visit to the north west of England.

Charles Dickens’ parents were married at St Mary Le Strand. Discover how they met and how Charles was named after a relative who narrowly escaped the hangman’s noose.

At this little-known gem, the guide will reveal the living conditions for the characters in A Christmas Carol and what London looked like in 1843 when A Christmas Carol was published. Learn how Dickens thought up the character of Scrooge, and your guide will go through the story beginning with Stave One - Marley’s Ghost, the first of five parts of the Christmas classic.

Your literary guide will talk about Stave Two - The First Of The Three Spirits and reveal A Christmas Carol locations with links to Dickens’ past. Is it a coincidence that Scrooge’s sister has the same name as Charles Dickens’ favourite sister? Learn about Dickens’ first and unrequited love and the reunion he had with her many years later.

Your guide will explore Stave Three - The Second Of The Three Spirits. Bob Cratchit is one of Dickens’ most well-known and best-loved characters. You will hear what it was like for Bob to work as a clerk and why this was important in the City of London. How did everyday people live? Why did Dickens place Cratchit and his family in Camden Town?

Your guide will reveal one of the oldest places to eat and drink in the City of London and a place where Dickens regularly visited. How was Christmas observed in 1843? Your mouth may water and stomach rumble as you hear about the food and drink featured in A Christmas Carol and how working people prepared their Christmas dinners.

Your guide will explore Stave Four - The Last Of The Spirits, the eeriest chapter of the classic Christmas book. How did the early Victorians bury their dead? And why were thousands of bodies moved years later? You will visit Scrooge’s final resting place and learn about the true
horror of City churchyards.

We end the tour with hope and Christmas cheer at the stunning Leadenhall market as we explore Stave Five - The End Of It, the final part of Dickens’ timeless classic. Where would Scrooge's gift of a turkey have come from? What happened after the publication of ‘A Christmas Carol’ and how did the reading public react to it. Hear how the book changed people's attitude to Christmas and how it led to four further Christmas books. How did it become the most well-known of Charles Dickens’ books and one of the most well-known stories in the world?