Dickens Events 2012
Throughout the Garden of England, a variety of different activities are being planned in the lead up to 2012, in order to celebrate Charles Dickens' Bicentenary. Why not join us, and travel back in time to experience the county that Dickens worked in, lived in, and loved so much?
2012
May
1st - 30th May: Discover Gravesham Festival celebrates Dickens
Highlighting the wealth of history that Gravesham has to offer the Festival this year will have a strong Dickens theme. It will run throughout May.
4th May, 8.00pm: "Great Expectations" at the Astor Community Theatre, Deal.
Baroque Theatre Company is bringing one of Dickens' most well-loved stories to Deal, as part of their National Theatre Tour. Hugh Leonard's adaptation, co-directed by Gerald Dickens, offers a fantastic show for all to enjoy, re-kindling the love and admiration for one of Dickens' most popular works. Tickets: £12.00 / £10.00 concessions. Call the Box Office: 01304 370220 or visit www.theastor.org
16th May, 2.30pm: The premiere of "The Complete Works of Charles Dickens" by Gerald Dickens
In celebration of Charles Dickens bicentenary, his great, great grandson Gerald Dickens has created a brand new show, entitled "The Complete Works of Charles Dickens" featuring extracts from all the major novels in chronological order at the Royal Dockyard Church within The Historic Dockyard Chatham. Charles Dickens knew the Historic Dockyards Chatham well from his childhood days when his father was a Clerk in the Navy Pay Office at the Dockyard; it is therefore is a fitting venue for this celebration of Dickens life and works. A special ‘Question and Answer' session will be hosted by Gerald at the end of the show.
Following the performance in the Royal Dockyard Church there is an opportunity to take Afternoon Tea in Commissioner's House, Britain's oldest Naval Building still intact and in use today and then to join the Dickens' Dockyard Tour which, with a costumed guide, provides an insight into why this literary giant was so familiar with the dockyard and explains why he considered it a "place of wonderment".
Ticket prices are £15 for the Show plus Questions and Answers and £25 for the Show plus Questions and Answers followed by Afternoon Tea and the special Dickens' Dockyard Tour.
17th May, 8.00pm: Gad's Hill Place, Dickens Little Kentish Freehold (price TBC)
Anne Carter, a former teacher at Gad's Hill School, tells the story of the house Dickens coveted all his life and bought for himself in 1856.
18th - 19th May, 7:30pm: "Great Expectations" at the Playhouse Theatre, Whitstable.
Baroque Theatre Company is bringing one of Dickens' most well-loved stories to Whitstable, as part of their National Theatre Tour. Hugh Leonard's adaptation, co-directed by Gerald Dickens, offers a fantastic show for all to enjoy, re-kindling the love and admiration for one of Dickens' most popular works. Tickets: £12.00 / £10.00 concessions. Call the Box Office: 01227 272042 or visit www.playhousewhitstable.co.uk
19th May. 1.00pm - 3.00pm: Charles Dickens & Higham Walk
Join in with this street and countryside walk in the Kent village that Dickens fell in love with and made his home. Rob Illingworth will lead the walk from Higham Library to Gad's Hill and then down to St Mary's Church in Lower Higham (not visiting Gad's Hill Place), with readings by Christoph Bull. Following the walk, St Mary's Church is hosting the Gravesham Heritage Festival which will include a tour and talk about the church. The walk is free but the event at St Mary's is ticketed at £3.50 adults and £2 for children (payable on the door).
To book a place on the walk please contact Higham Library (30 places maximum) on 01474 823822 or click here for more information.
20th May, 2.30pm: Walk around Higham followed by a tour of Gads Hill (price TBC)
Higham Village History Group, in collaboration with Gad's Hill Place, has arranged a special opening of Gad's Hill Place, Charles Dickens' home from 1856-1870. There will be a tour of the house conducted by members of the Dickens Fellowship and a cream tea will be provided.
24th May, 10:30am - 4pm: The Dickens Churches - The Churches Conservation Trust's Historic Church Tours 2012
This tour takes in three churches with connections with Charles Dickens. Starting with Dickens' parish church, St Mary's in Higham, which is unusually flint-based. St Mary Magdalene, Cobham (Diocese of Rochester) is next, this church that features in the PIckwick Papers has a magnificent collection of 19 memorial brasses, befroe stopping of for lunch at the Leather Bottle. The final stop on the tour will be at St James, Cooling. This church's graveyard was used as the inspiration for the opening chapter of Great Expectations. Coach collects from Higham train station at10.30am and returns to Higham train station at 4.00pm. Tickets: Supporters Scheme Members £25, Non-members £35. Price includes coach travel and lunch.
27th May, every hour from 1pm: Guided Tours of Gads Hill (price TBC)
Guided tour followed with homemade cream tea.
27th May, 2.30pm: Dickens' Chalk Village Tour
Chalk's major claim to fame is its connection with Charles Dickens. Here he spent his honeymoon with his new bride, Catherine Hogarth; and it was here that he wrote the early installments of Pickwick Papers. He also used the old forge in the village as a model for Joe Gargery's cottage in Great Expectations. The building still stands as a historically listed building.
June
6th June, 7.30pm: "Great Expectations" at St James' Church, Cooling
The Churches Conservation Trust presents the Baroque Theatre Company in Hugh Leonard's adaptation of 'Great Expectations'. Dickens set the opening scene of his most famous work in the churchyard at Cooling and this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to see a performance in the actual church. Tickets £15. Call 01634 220204 or visit www.coolingchurch.org.uk for more info.
8th - 10th June: Medway Dickens Festival
A spectacular event of colour, costume and entertainment. Thousands of visitors soak up the Victorian atmosphere, while parades make their way through central historic Rochester each day. Newly commissioned theatrical and creative content planned to mark the bicentenary in Rochester.
8th June 2012 - 28th February 2013: 'A world made real: Dickens and Victorian life'
The Guildhall Museum exhibition, 'A world made real: Dickens and Victorian life' looks at some of the broad social history themes covered in Charles Dickens' novels and relate those themes to relevant interesting historic objects in the museum collections. The museum is open Tuesday-Sunday 10am - 4.30 pm. Admission is free.
16th - 22nd June: Broadstairs Dickens Festival
Charles Dickens visited Broadstairs in Kent regularly from 1837 until 1859 and immortalised the town as "Our English Watering Place". In 1937, to commemorate the centenary of the author's first visit, Gladys Waterer, the then owner of Dickens House, conceived the idea of putting on a production of 'David Copperfield' and of having people about the town in Victorian dress to publicise it. Thus the festival was born and, with the exception of the years of World War 2, has been held annually in the third week of June ever since.
24th June, 2.30pm: Chalk Church Tour and Readings
Just on the outskirts of Gravesend in Kent, there has been a church in Chalk for well over a thousand years, which has strong associations both literary and biographical with Charles Dickens. As part of the Bicentenary celebrations, enjoy a tour of the church that was once so special to Dickens. You will also be able to feel the atmosphere of the past with some of his readings.
July / August
6th July, 7:30pm: Miriam Margolyes in Dickens' Women at St George's Church, Deal
Miriam Margolyes reprises her acclaimed Olivier Award-nominated production, DICKENS' WOMEN which is part of a year-long world tour that includes seasons at the Sydney Opera House, Jaipur Literary Festival in India and at New York's legendary Morgan Library. Miriam portrays 23 of Dickens best loved characters, from young heroines to old harridans. Funny, moving, affectionate and informative, this show will be for young and old alike whether they are familiar with Charles Dickens' writing or are just discovering him. Prices £20, Students £10.
7th July, 8pm: Miriam Margolyes in Dickens' Women at the Britannia Theatre in Dickens World
Miriam Margolyes reprises her acclaimed Olivier Award-nominated production, DICKENS' WOMEN which is part of a year-long world tour that includes seasons at the Sydney Opera House, Jaipur Literary Festival in India and at New York's legendary Morgan Library. Miriam portrays 23 of Dickens best loved characters, from young heroines to old harridans. Funny, moving, affectionate and informative, this show will be for young and old alike whether they are familiar with Charles Dickens' writing or are just discovering him.
25th July - 19th August: Charles Dickens Museum in Gad's Hill Place
During the summer of 2012 in celebration of Dickens bicentenary, the Charles Dickens Museum will open the ground floor of the last home of Charles Dickens to give a unique visitor experience. Many of the great writer's personal possessions will be returned temporarily to their former home; the first time that they have been there since the house and its contents were sold in 1870.
This exciting initiative is available during the afternoons from Wednesday to Sunday for pre-booked guided tours of the key reception rooms and the all-important study of the author. A ticket will include a light afternoon tea served in the Conservatory that Dickens filled had filled with ferns and his favourite geranium plants. There is also an exciting programme of special evening events planned together with family and children's activities to take place in the house and the garden surrounding it. Admission to Gad's Hill Place will be by pre-booked ticket. Enquiries to events@dickensmuseum.com.
September / October
7th - 9th September: Dickens Flower Festival at St James Church, Cooling
To mark Charles Dickens' Bicentenary, the church where Dickens set the opening to 'Great Expectations' is hosting a flower festival in celebration. Admission is free. For more information visit www.coolingchurch.org.uk.
21st -23rd September: What the Dickens? Promenade 2012 Isle of Sheppey
This festival is aimed at celebrating Dickens connections to the Isle of Sheppey through the spirit of his works. Influences such as the hustle and bustle of the dockyards, a colourful Jewish community, the wildlife and marshes and prison and living accomodation hulks will all be explored. A number of events will be held, including a display of Sheppey's 365 photographs, talks about the dockyard history and architecture and look into the portrayal of the marshes, wildlife and the prison hulks used in Great Expectations. For more details contact janys.thornton@communities.gsi.gov.uk or bluetownheritage@hotmail.co.uk (tele 01795662981).
November / December
1st - 2nd December: Dickensian Christmas Festival in Rochester
Each year, the first weekend of December brings Victorian festivities to Rochester in the form of a Dickensian Christmas, where you can experience street entertainment, readings, songs and dance. You'll be captivated by Dickens' characters as you explore the literary journey that was the great writer's life. Each day there are parades through Rochester and the magnificent surroundings of Rochester Cathedral and Castle and guaranteed snowfall creates a charming scene!
Dickens App
A new smartphone app on Charles Dickens' connections to Kent has been launched. This free app for iPhone and Android smartphones allows you to discover places to visit, historical facts, trails and walks as well as having a go at a fun quiz to test your Dickens knowledge. You will be surprised at just how many places in Kent and the South East have a Dickens story to tell.
