Charles Dickens' London: Then and Now

As you travel to your accommodation on one of the London shuttles, ponder how the modern city stands up to Charles Dickens’ London.

Charles John Huffam Dickens was one of the greatest novelists in Victorian-era England, responsible for penning many beloved classics such as Oliver Twist and A Christmas Carol. His evocative portrayal of life in London breathed life into his works, using a then-unusual blend of comical characters, unique prose and biting commentary on social issues such as poverty, filth and crime.

Much of what Dickens wrote was based on what he saw in the city. Many of his inspirations still stand to this day as testament of what he saw during his time, yet just as many have been lost to the ravages of time and modernisation.

But what, exactly, inspired Dickens back then, and how does the London of today compare?

The Reeking Marketplace

In many of Dickens’ works, he paints a portrait of a city dealing with the boons and banes of the birthing pains of rapid industrial growth. Nothing exemplifies this better than the Smithfield Live Cattle Market, as described in Oliver Twist, which luridly describes the explosion of filth, noise, yelling and hawking that comes with the trade of livestock. You won’t see any cattle trading today, as the operation was moved to slaughterhouses in Islington as far back as 1855 – the city of today is a much cleaner and quieter place compared to Dickens’ time.

The Gentlemen’s Club

The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club – or simply “The Pickwick Papers” – was Dickens' first success. The George and Vulture pub still exists to this day, and you can actually visit the headquarters of the club if you wish. It escaped demolition thanks to the efforts of Charles Dickens’ great-grandson, although the same cannot be said for other venues that the Pickwickians favoured. Of note is the Golden Cross Inn, which was replaced by a hotel that was ultimately demolished and replaced in turn by commercial offices under the name Golden Cross House.

The Wretched Neighbourhood

In Dickens’ Oliver Twist, he describes Saffron Hill as a squalid slum where thieves and beggars lined the streets. It made a fitting setting for the death of the cruelly violent Bill Sikes, who eventually hanged himself at the end of his tale. The Saffron Hill of today, however, is a relatively quiet street – a far cry from the wretched place described in Dickens’ novel.

The Centre of Commerce

In A Christmas Carol, the infamous Scrooge was well known at the Change and was accommodated for "anything he put his hand to". The Change refers to the Royal Exchange, which was once a centre of commerce where goods were exchanged and stocks were brokered. Today however, the Royal Exchange is a luxury shopping mall. It’s technically still a centre of commerce, though on a much smaller scale more suited for shopping on a lazy weekend than spreading the roots of an entrepreneurial empire.

Getting Around London

There are a lot of other venues mentioned in Dickens’ work that you can explore, and you may even pass by some of them if you hire one of the convenient London shuttles to ferry you and your luggage from the airport to your accommodation. You could, of course, opt for public transport like buses and the TubeComputer Technology Articles, although most people find the London shuttles extremely competitive in price and with the added advantage of dropping you right at the door of your accommodation.