Dickens House

Dickens House Museum in Broadstairs is a small literary museum in a late-Georgian cottage on Victoria Parade, on the Kent coast. It is devoted to Charles Dickens, his life and his works, with a focus on the time he spent in this seaside town and the writing connected with it.

What is the Dickens House Museum?

This is an intimate, modest museum rather than a large institution with sprawling galleries. It occupies a late-Georgian building that is part of the appeal in its own right. A visit is usually short, so it pairs well with a walk around the town and the harbour front.

How is the house connected to Dickens?

The house is tied to Mary Pearson Strong, an eccentric local resident of Broadstairs. She is said to have inspired Betsey Trotwood, the formidable great-aunt in "David Copperfield". Dickens developed much of that character while staying in Broadstairs in 1849. The famous donkey-chasing episodes in the novel are linked to the same story.

The museum's parlour is described as looking very much as it did in Dickens's day, and as he portrayed it in his favourite novel. For readers, it offers a chance to stand in a room that fed into a piece of literary fiction.

Is this the same place as Bleak House?

No. Bleak House is a separate building standing on the cliff above the harbour, and it now operates as a guest house. Its owner believed it to be the house Dickens used in the novel of the same name, although whether it truly inspired the book is open to debate. The two are easy to confuse, so check the address before setting out.

Opening times and what else to see

For the 2026 season the museum lists opening Wednesday to Sunday, 1pm to 4.30pm, with last entry at 4pm. Hours can change, so confirm them on the official website before you go. The local tourism board also publishes a Dickens town trail for Broadstairs, which lets you combine several sites linked to the writer in a single walk.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the museum? On Victoria Parade in Broadstairs, Kent, England.

Is it the Charles Dickens Museum in London? No. The London museum is on Doughty Street in Bloomsbury. Dickens House in Broadstairs is a different place, tied to the writer's seaside stays.

Who is it for? Readers of Dickens, literature lovers and visitors to the Kent coast who want a short, atmospheric stop in a historic cottage.

How long should I allow? A short visit is usually enough, leaving time to stroll through the town, along the seafront and around the harbour, where traces of the author's presence turn up at every turn.

Broadstairs has long been associated with Dickens, who returned here for holidays and wrote in the area. The museum helps explain why the town so willingly keeps this literary tradition alive, and why it continues to draw readers looking for places that appear in, or relate to, the books they love.