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CHARLES DICKENS MOVES HOME TO KENT
Literature themed amusement park in Chatham

Ok, Charles Dickens is dead and buried at Westminster Abbey, but his characters and the world he lived in and created lives on in his books and now in a new Dickensian themed amusement attraction in Catham, Kent DICKENS WORLD. The park is located at Chatham Maritime in Kent, a few miles from the historic town of Rochester. Dickens father was a dockyard worker at the naval docks of Chatham, and young Charles spent his happy childhood days in Kent and Rochester from which he drew many of his experiences and memories for his stories - imagine Pip’s discovery of Magwich before his “Great Expectations”.

DICKENS WORLD is an indoor experience recreating the England of Dickens’ lifetime, a journey into one of the most fascinating periods of British History enduring in imagination brought to life, what the author refered to as ‘the best of times and worst of Times’. Victorian London with its sounds and smells and the unique architecture and street scenes vividly depicted in the Dickens’ canon, brought to life by a supporting cast of familiar characters (see also CHARLES DICKENS MUSEUM - London).

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The attraction features a dark boat ride, taking visitors through the depths of London’s sewers and atmospheric streets, courtyards, markets and shops, to a magical flight across the roof tops of London. In the Haunted House, Dickens ghosts of Christmases past and Ebenezer Scrooge will come back to life. A children’s play area is provided and named Fagin’s Den where one supposes pocket-picking might be taught to your little tykes – hopefully not. A 250 seat theater offers a multi-sensory animatronic performance throughout the day and then a live ‘supper’ show in the evening. And not just for kids, a series of 'burlesque' evening dinner shows provide some 'naughty delights' true to the period of the Victorian Music Hall.

The Dickens World courtyard area allows visitors to walk about the complex, taking in the atmosphere of the streets, alleys, courtyards, dockside, shops of old London and dine at a Dickens themed restaurant. Other attractions include: Peggoty’s Boat House, The School Room – The Dreaded Disciplines of Victorian Education (sounds a little naughty but mind out of the gutter please), Crime and Punishment and The Old Curiosity Shoppe complete the whole experience.

The builders of Dickens World have worked with the Dickens Fellowship and insist that the material presented is based on a credible and factual account of Charles Dickens works and the world in which he lived, with great attention to the authenticity of the time, characters and story lines. A family friendly amusement experience with literary and cultural learning opportunities presented in an entertaining depiction of the times and conditions people experienced living in England in the early 19th century. The Dickens World take about 4 hours to "dwell" and visitors also can take advantage of a number of restaurants, cafes and bars in the surrounding area and visit the nearby Royal Historic Dockyard, a factory outlet shopping mall and a nine-screen multiplex cinema.

Dickens World is about one hour by car from London off Junction 3 on the M2 motorway and close to the M20 and M25, a mile from the Chatham and Rochester rail stations, where trains run to London Victoria Station, and the new Eurostar link at Ebsfleet to open in 2007 is located 15 minutes away.©Bargain Travel Europe

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Dickens World

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See Also:

THREE LONDON MUSEUMS FOR THE PRICE OF FREE
Maritime Museum and Royal Observatory

MY GREAT-GREAT-GRAND UNCLE - THE EARL OF SOMETHING - Family Ancestry Travel in Britain

WATSON! THE BREW IS AFOOT!
London's Sherlock Holmes Pub

THE STRATFORD MAN
Shakespeare Author Mystery - Did He or Didn’t He?

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