The Dickens Fellowship Dinner
On the 7th February 2017, BMA House will be hosting the anniversary dinner for the Dickens Fellowship, to mark 205 years since Dickens’s Birth
On the 7th February 1812 a child was born into humble beginnings in Portsmouth, the son of a clerk and the second of eight children who despite his lack of formal education, went on to become the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. His name was Charles Dickens.
In 1851 Dickens purchased Tavistock House, a plain, spacious brick building located just off Tavistock Square and screened from the public thoroughfare by iron railings. During his time at the residence he began and finished novels which have become classics and are read throughout the world including; Bleak House, Hard Times and Little Dorrit. He lived at this residence for 9 years, eventually leaving it behind in 1860 when he and his family moved to Kent.
Where Tavistock House once stood, now stands BMA House, our workplace and the beautiful events venue which we hire out. The remaining bricks of Dickens’s house can still be seen in our tranquil medicinal garden, standing unassuming and undiscovered to many who walk past the building.
205 years after Charles Dickens’s birth, the Dickens Fellowship has chosen our Prince’s Room as the location for its celebratory anniversary dinner on the 7th February 2017.
The Dickens Fellowship is an international organisation of enthusiasts and scholars who share interests in the life, works and times of Charles Dickens. The Fellowship was founded in London in October 1902 and to this day, brings together people from all over the world, comprising the Central Fellowship and 54 branches.
Set in the stunning space of our Prince’s Room, the interior provides the perfect backdrop for the intimate dinner, with its domed ceiling, centrepiece chandelier and original features.
We will set the room for a three course dinner, with catering provided by Ampersand. On the menu is; a trio of oak smoked salmon for starter, roast rump of lamb for mains and topped off with a dessert of lemon cheesecake with white chocolate and raspberries.
Crisp white linen cloths will be laid over the tables and we will use storm lanterns as the table centres, embedded with candles and pebbles. There will also be a display of images of Dickens’s house and some information on his time spent at the residence.
Further information about the Fellowship and how to become a member can be found on its website at www.dickensfellowship.org
Written by Maxine Reynolds
Contact us on 020 7874 7020 or email [email protected]
BMA House, Tavistock Square, London, WC1H 9JP