Charles Dickens 1812 - 2012

In 1812 one of Portsmouth's most famous sons was born, Charles Dickens was born on 7th February 1812 at 1 Mile End Terrace. The Dickens family returned to their native London in 1814, so Charles didn't spend a great deal of his childhood in Portsmouth, but as he said himself "Every traveler has a home of his own, and he learns to appreciate it the more from his wandering."
Dickens later draws on his memories of Portsmouth in his novel Nicholas Nickleby, Nicholas and Smike tramped to Portsmouth and Mr. Crummles lived in St Thomas's Street and there they lived "off mutton and onion sauce".

Happy Birthday Mr Dickens

During 2012 the City of Portsmouth has a host of activities and special events planned, to celebrate the 200th year of Charles Dickens birth. The celebrations include something for everyone and range from community based art projects, special performances of Dickens works and the unveiling of a new plaque marking the site of Dickens last night in Portsmouth in 1866.

The programme of events during 2012 is shown below.

Tale of One City
Ongoing throughout 2012 various locations, Portsmouth.

• Exhibition the work generated by the community archive participants to be shared with a wider audience and shown alongside the work of Dickens. Items from Portsmouth's collections depicting the city, its environs, its preoccupations and issues at the time of Dickens will also feature. The exhibition will evolve throughout 2012
• 'Bringing Life to the Birthplace' - new interpretation of the Charles Dickens Birthplace Museum, including volunteer costumed guides and readers, as well as an improved educational offer
• The Online Community Archive Site will provide the tools and environment for communities to record and share stories and personal histories about living and working in Portsmouth

Guided Walks

• Guided walks and talks around Dickens Portsmouth.
  Following a free Dickens Guided Walk on Dickens birthday (7th February) there will be a free walk every other Saturday from 18th Feb to 18th August. Walks start from Victory Gate and end at the City Museum.
• For more details contact the visitor information service on 02392 826722.

Tale of One City Exhibition
From 28th January until September City Museum, Portsmouth.

• An ongoing, evolving exhibition of work from the Tale of One City project as well as the original manuscript of part of Chapter 15 of Nicholas Nickleby, on loan from the British Library.
• Portsmouth City Museum Tel: 02392 827261

Dickens at Groundlings Theatre
Week commencing 30th January, Groundlings Theatre, Old Beneficial School, 42 Kent Street, Portsea.

• Week-long series of events and workshops, culminating in a recreation of the ball Dickens's mother attended the night before his birth.
• Dickens Living Museum Tour. 30th January, hourly from 10am - 4pm. Groundlings Theatre will be transformed into a living museum featuring characters from Dickens novels. Tickets £3
• Victorious Victorians. 31st January. This Victorian Top Hat take is an entertaining, educational look at life in Victorian Britain as outlined in the National Curriculum. £3.50, teachers go free.
• Victorian Childhood Workshop. 2nd February, 10am - 1pm. These workshops will give young people the chance to see what being a child in Victorian Portsmouth was like, £3.
• Groundlings Theatre Tel: 02392 737370

Dickens Birthday Lecture
4th February John Pound's Church, Old Portsmouth.

• Michael Allen on the childhood of Dickens, plus guest speaker Mark Dickens, great great grandson of Charles Dickens.
• John Pounds Church Tel: 02392 821101

Twisted Expectations.
4th February Groundlings Theatre, Old Beneficial School.

• Meet a parade of Dickensian characters in a Murder Mystery Dinner specially written for Dickens 2012. Enjoy "food glorious food" and Pickwick the brains of the cast to solve a terrible murder in Victorian London. 8pm. Tickets including two-course meal, £18.
• Groundlings Theatre Tel: 02392 737370

Dickens Sunday Service
5th February John Pounds Church, Old Portsmouth.

• A church service of thanksgiving for his life and works.
• John Pounds Church Tel: 02392 821101

Dickens at Groundlings Theatre
5th February Groundlings Theatre, Old Beneficial School, 42 Kent Street, Portsea.

• Dickens Living Museum Tour. 30th January, hourly from 10am - 4pm. Groundlings Theatre will be transformed into a living museum featuring characters from Dickens novels. Tickets £3
• Groundlings Theatre Tel: 02392 737370

Old Commercial Road Street Party
5th February Old Commercial Road, Portsmouth.

• Celebration of Dickens by residents of the street where he was born.

Dickens Ball
6th February, Groundlings Theatre, Old Beneficial School, 42 Kent Street, Portsea.

• Break out your ball gowns, iron your cravats and join us in a unique recreation of the 1812 ball that marked the birth of Portsmouth's literary genius: Charles Dickens. Glide around our ballroom with Dickensian dancers and let our live music transport you back in time. 8pm. Tickets £12.
• Groundlings Theatre Tel: 02392 737370

NewstrAid Benevolent Fund (Wessex Committee)
6th February Hilton Hotel, Farlington, Portsmouth.

• Event for the charity founded in 1839 by Charles Dickens to support those in the newspaper and magazine industry.
• The NewstrAid Benevolent Fund, still affectionately known as "Old Ben" is the news trade's own charity, to the benefit of individuals in the retailing and distribution section of the newspaper and magazine publishing industry throughout the UK.

200th Anniversary of the birth of Charles Dickens
7th February Charles Dickens Birthplace Museum and surrounding area.

• 10am - performance by City of Portsmouth Girls School
• 10.30am - ceremony and celebration at Birthplace Museum, including
• 10.45am - speeches from Lord Mayor, Dickens Fellowship and Ian Dickens
• 11am - laying of wreath and toast to 'The Immortal Memory'
• 11am - 11.25am - performance by Portsmouth City Band
• 11.25am - 11.45am - performance by City of Portsmouth Girls School
• 11.45am - 12.10pm - performance by Portsmouth City Band
• 12pm - performance of The Ballad of Charles Dickens on Old Commercial Road
• 1-4pm - BBC Radio Solent Katie Martin Show live from Birthplace Museum
• 1.30pm - Personal appearance at CDBM by Brian Conley as 'Fagin'
• 1.30pm - BBC South live broadcast from Charles Dickens Birthplace Museum
• 2pm - performance of The Ballad of Charles Dickens on Old Commercial Road
• Dickens Birthplace Museum Tel: 02392 827261

Service of Thanksgiving
7th February St Mary's Church, Portsmouth.

• Ecumenical church service of thanksgiving for Dickens's life and works at St. Mary's Church, with readings by Simon Callow and Sheila Hancock, as well as songs from the musical Oliver!
• St Mary's Church Tel: 02392 293020

Dickens Film Screening
7th February Guildhall Square, 12pm.

• BBC Big Screen will be screening The Pickwick Papers (1954)
• Display of Victorian bicycles by Pickwick Bicycle Club (12.45pm)

New Portsmouth Poet Laureate
7th February Charles Dickens Birthplace Museum.

• Announcement of the new Portsmouth Poet Laureate, as well as a Young Portsmouth Poet Laureate.
• Dickens Birthplace Museum Tel: 02392 827261

Reception with Simon Callow
7th February New Theatre Royal, Portsmouth.

• A reception with Simon Callow, hosted by the Charles Dickens Statue Fund.
• New Theatre Royal Tel: 02392 649000

Simon Callow Dickens Performance
7th February New Theatre Royal, Portsmouth.

• A performance by Simon Callow, in aid of the Charles Dickens Statue Fund.
• New Theatre Royal Tel: 02392 649000

Dickens Fellowship Subscription Dinner
7th February Royal Naval Club and Royal Albert Yacht Club, Portsmouth.

• Subscription dinner hosted by the Portsmouth Dickens Fellowships.
• Royal Naval Club and Royal Albert Yacht Club Tel: 02392 825924

Special 200th birthday dinner at The Dolphin in Old Portsmouth.
7th February The Dolphin, Old Portsmouth.

• When Charles Dickens wrote of Portsmouth in 1838, the Portsmouth Philharmonic Society was meeting at The Dolphin Hotel every Tuesday. By 1858, Landlord Richard Budd was running The Dolphin Navy, Army & Family Hotel.
  
  On Charles Dickens's last visit in 1866, William Bond was "mine host" at The Dolphin Hotel which then offered a bowling alley as an added attraction.
  
  Now The Dolphin is offering a special bicentenary four-course meal based on references from the novels of Charles Dickens.
  
  Costumed actors will perform songs from the stage production of 'Oliver!' including "Food Glorious Food", "I'd Do Anything", "Consider Yourself", "Oom Pah Pah" and "As Long As He Needs Me".
  
  The cost for the evening is £24.50 per person and reservations can be made in person at The Dolphin, 41 High Street, Old Portsmouth or by telephone to 02392 823595 or by e-mail to dolphinoldportsmouth@yahoo.co.uk

Meet the Author: Marcia Williams
7th February Selected local schools.

• Marcia Williams school events based on her Oliver Twist and Other Great Dickens Stories graphic book.

Dickens Flower Beds
From 7th February Porter's Garden, Historic Dockyard.

• A year-long display of flowers contemporary to Dickens time.

David Copperfield
7th - 11th February Kings Theatre (Telephone: 02392 828282 for details).

• One-Off Productions performances of David Copperfield.
• Week-long run will be supported by an exhibition.

Celebrating Dickens' by Professor Heard's Magic Lantern Show
11th February, 2pm. Central Library, Guildhall Square, Portsmouth.

• A special magic lantern show to commemorate the bicentenary of Dickens' birth, featuring colourful tales of Victorian life in Dickens' day, comical moving slides of popular entertainments and the rarely seen tale of the famous Dickens story "The Goblins who stole a Sexton" with amazing Victorian special effects. Free entry.

Dickens City Read 11th February - 7th April Various locations, Portsmouth.

• Shared reading experience, in conjunction with London City Read. Free copies of Oliver Twist made available.

Dickens Fellowship Tea
14th February TBC, Portsmouth.

• The annual Dickens Fellowship tea to celebrate his birthday.

Dickens Baptism Commemoration Service
4th March St Alban's Church, Copnor, Portsmouth.

• To mark the anniversary of the baptism in 1812 of Charles Dickens in the font which has stood here since January 1914.

Literature Cafe: Food and Dickens
8th March Le Cafe Parisien, Portsmouth

• The Centre for Studies in Literature at University of Portsmouth will run a series of 'literary cafes' stimulating discussions of Dickens writing and influence in the wider world then and now.

The Ballad of Charles Dickens
24th March Central Library, Guildhall Square, Portsmouth

• New work by Stuart Olesker and John Stanton created for the Dickens birthday celebrations and shown here as part of the Lost Hour.

Dickens Urban Theatre
24th March, Southsea Skatepark, Portsmouth.

• A new work created for the Lost Hour, featuring live music, street dance, poetry by KeliAnne B and artwork by ILYA.

The Lost Hour
25th March Various locations, Portsmouth.

• Annual family event marking the start of British Summer Time. Will feature a number of Dickens community reading events.

A Hundred Seas Rising
May Aspex Gallery, Gunwharf Quays.

• New artist commission from Suki Chan inspired by A Tale of Two Cities, one of the few western novels not banned in China during the Cultural Revolution.
• Aspex Gallery Tel: 02392 778080

Literature Cafe: Dickens and Fallen Women
12th April Le Cafe Parisien, Portsmouth

• The Centre for Studies in Literature at University of Portsmouth will run a series of 'literary cafes' stimulating discussions of Dickens writing and influence in the wider world then and now.

Literature Cafe: Crime and Dickens
10th May, Le Cafe Parisien, Portsmouth

• The Centre for Studies in Literature at University of Portsmouth will run a series of 'literary cafes' stimulating discussions of Dickens writing and influence in the wider world then and now.

Plaque dedication and dinner
25th May Rees Hall, Southsea.

• Unveiling of plaque to mark the site of Dickens's last night in Portsmouth in 1866, followed by a dinner at Royal Naval Club.

Commemoration of Dickens death
10th June TBC.

• An event by the Dickens Fellowship to mark the day Charles Dickens died in 1870.

Portsmouth Festivities 22nd June - 1st July, various locations, Portsmouth.

• Annual arts festival. Will follow the theme of 'Great Expectations'.

The Other Dickens
6th - 8th July, University of Portsmouth.

• International academic conference organised by the University of Portsmouth's Centre for Studies in Literature.

Barnaby Rudge
9th - 11th August, Kings Theatre, Albert Road, Southsea.

• Alchemy Theatre present a new dramatisation of Dickens's fifth novel.
• Timed to coincide with the International Dickens Conference.
• Kings Theatre Southsea Tel: 02392 828282

International Dickens Fellowship Annual Conference
9th - 14th August, University of Portsmouth.

• Gathering to discuss 'The Impact of Dickens'. Will include a civic reception on 9th August.

Charles Dickens Statue
13th August, Guildhall Square, Portsmouth.

• Official unveiling of Martin Jennings statue of Charles Dickens.

St Mary's Poetry Competition
September (TBC) St Mary's Church.

• A poetry competition linking the site of Charles Dickens' baptism, St Mary's, Portsea, with Charles Dickens Birthplace Museum.

Portsmouth Film Festival
September (TBC) various locations, Portsmouth.

• Annual film festival in city. 2012 events will be themed around great literary figures with links to Portsmouth, such as Dickens, Conan Doyle, H.G. Wells and Kipling.

Art Book Exhibition
8th October - 2nd November, Southsea Library, Palmerston Road.

• Exhibition of Dickens inspired work by students from the University of Portsmouth's School of Art, Design and Media.

Portsmouth BookFest
October - November (TBC), various locations, Portsmouth.

• A festival of reading and writing featuring a popular selection of authors.

Victorian Festival of Christmas
TBC November, Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.

• Visitors will be magically transported into a Dickensian-style bygone era of snowy white streets with seasonal carols, the ever raucous Fagin's Tavern and unique Christmas gift market.

"My meaning simply is, that whatever I have tried to do in life, I have tried with all my heart to do well; that whatever I have devoted myself to, I have devoted myself to completely; that in great aims and in small, I have always been thoroughly in earnest."
- Charles Dickens, David Copperfield