Charles Dickens is, of course, a famous author of well-known classics such as Great Expectations, A Tale of Two Cities and A Christmas Carol. He was born in Portsmouth, on 7th February 1812, when Britain's Navy was still at war with Napoleonic France. Charles's father, John Dickens, a clerk in the Navy Pay Office, had brought his young bride Elizabeth down to Portsmouth in the summer of 1809, renting the house as the first home of their married life. The museum houses furniture, ceramics, glass, household objects and decorations faithfully re-created the Regency style which Charles's parents would have favoured, although their actual possessions have long since been dispersed. The museum has recently been awarded national accreditation status by Arts Council England.
