When he was a boy Charles Dickens and his father took a walk-through Kent. On Gravesend Road they passed a house called Gad’s Hill Place. Young Charles was very impressed. He bought the house in 1856 and lived there until his death in 1870.
Today, the impressive, red-bricked building is the home of Gad’s Hill School, which is proud of its connections with England’s most famous author, regularly opening its doors to the public for fascinating tours and talks.
The independent day school, which celebrated its centenary in 2024, also has a Charles Dickens Scholarship Award, providing opportunities for academically gifted children from North Kent and surrounding areas to study there.
It’s those literary connections of this wonderful place that has put Gravesham and the village of Higham on the tourist map and continues to thrill generations of people who not only continue to read and love Charles Dickens’ books but also love to visit the places that inspired his writing.
Gads Hill Place was more than a family home for the Dickens family where famous guests like Hans Christian Anderson came to stay. It was the house owned by Miss Havisham in ‘Great Expectations’ and the mansion passed by Scrooge and the Spirit of Christmas past in A Christmas Carol. It was the place where Charles Dickens sat down to write his final novel, The Mystery of Edwin Drood.
Tours of Gad’s Hill Place take place through the year, providing an opportunity to visit the ground floor of the Grade I listed, 18th Century house, stroll in the garden and enjoy tea and biscuits in the conservatory. There might even be time to inspire your own novel.
Details on future tours and events at Gads Hill Place are available from the Visit Gravesham office. For literary greats and fascinating history like this, there’s no place like Gravesham.
Address
Gad's Hill Place, Higham
Rochester Road
Higham
ME3 7DS
