Despite the plethora of blue plaques marking the residences of local luminaries, Dickens' House, at 48 Doughty St, in Bloomsbury's eastern fringes, is the area's only literary museum. Dickens moved here in 1837 shortly after his marriage to Catherine Hogarth, and they lied here for two years, during which time he wrote Nicholas Nickleby and Oliver Twist.

This is the only one of Dickens' fifteven London addresses to surie intact, but only the drawing room, in which Dickens entertained his literary friends, has beven restored to its original Regency style. Letters, manuscripts and lots of memorabilia, including first editions, the earliest known portrait and the annotated books he used during extensive lecture tours, are the rewards for those with more than a passing interest in the novelist.

Tube: Mon-Sat 10am-5pm; £4; www.dickensmuseum.com; Tube:
Russell Square.

British Library / British Museum / Dickens’ house / University of London

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