A Tale of 212 years: Portsmouth celebrates Charles Dickens birthday at his birthplace

Today (February 7) marks the 212th birthday of Charles Dickens, famed Portsmouth-born novelist who penned favourites such as A Christmas Carol and Oliver Twist. To celebrate, the Charles Dickens Birthplace hosted a special ceremony to commemorate the author. In attendance was the chair of the Dickens Fellowship, Timothy Suffolk, Lady Mayoress Nikki Coles, and Dickens’ own great great grandson, Ian Dickens.

Together, the Lady Mayoress and Mr Dickens hung a wreath on the front door of Charles Dickens’ place of birth, followed by an event at Dickens’ statue in the Guildhall Square.

Mr Dickens said: “Its lovely to be here, I have come to this event many times now, and I really just wanted to say on the behalf of the Dickens family a huge thank you to Portsmouth City Council for all the support they’ve put into this famous son of the city, Charles John Huffam Dickens, born this day in 1812. Thank you so much for coming to this birthday party.”

The Lady Mayoress, who was in attendance on the Lord Mayor’s behalf, said: “It’s lovely to be here with you to mark the birthday of one of Portsmouth’s most famous sons. Charles Dickens represents a cornerstone in the cultural history of our city. Being born and spending his early years here gives Portsmouth a connection to his works that has echoed through the years. Me and the Lord Mayor are very proud to represent this city of Dickens’ birth and are honoured to have the opportunity to lay the wreath in his memory."

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We spoke to Ian Dickens about his great great grandfather’s life in Portsmouth, and why the ceremony is such an important celebration for the city: “We place a wreath to mark the start of the extraordinary journey Charles Dickens went on. You can go to any country and show a picture of his face and everybody knows who he is. He was a global superstar when he died and he still is.”

The ceremony was followed by three resounding cheers that filled Old Commercial Road, as the crowd was invited inside Charles Dickens Birthplace free of charge. Inside, Geoff Christopher, secretary of the Dickens Fellowship, gave captivating readings of Dickens’ novels to visitors in the exhibition room, surrounded by the author’s own belongings.

Afterwards we headed over to Guildhall Square to mark the ten-year anniversary of the Dickens statue, which was erected on this day in 2014. Professor Tony Pointon, long-standing member of the Dickens Fellowship, laid a garland around the neck of the monument. He said: “Charles Dickens was born on this road 212 years ago and his books are still read, his effect on people is still great, and we are so proud to have him both as a citizen of Portsmouth and represented here.”