Literary London: Barrie, Dickens, and The Bloomsbury Group

Long before I came to London, I had an idea of what it was like thanks to writers like Charles Dickens and J.M. Barrie, whose vivid descriptions have long held a place in our collective imagination. It was a foggy place filled with cobblestoned roads and row houses where colorful characters lived while fairies flew through the night sky and unseen terrors lurked in the shadows. Of course, no real place can ever live up to our imagined expectations, but even still there's a magical quality to the city, perhaps in part enhanced by its rich literary history, which can be found on seemingly every street corner. This is, after all, a place that has dedicated a whole tube station to a fictional character:

The Sherlock Holmes Museum (notably, not the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle museum) is located at 221 Baker Street, naturally:

Even still, there are plenty of real life literary heros who walked these streets. In fact, writers like Dickens, Barrie, and Woolf are so well-known and beloved that they have become characters themselves. I love visiting the places where larger than life authors lived and worked. It's fun and educational but also inspirational. And who couldn't benefit from a little inspiration now and then?

First up was the Dickens Museum. I'm not a huge Dickens fan (a bit wordy for my taste), but his influence on Western literature is undeniable. Even if you've never read a word, you can still probably name at least a few characters: Ebenezer Scrooge, Tiny Tim, Miss Havisham, Oliver Twist. To me, Dickens' greatest legacy is the characters he created. Therefore, the museum, housed in a townhouse he rented for a few years during the beginning of his career, is a real treat for both the casual fan and fervent admirer. Here he wrote Oliver Twist and Nicholas Nickleby, among others, and it is also a great example of how an upper middle class family lived during the mid-19th century. 

Charles Dickens' kitchen. He was not the only writer in his family, as his wife Catherine wrote a cookbook: What Shall We Have For Dinner?

Um, best wall designs ever?

There's a lovely terrace out back where you can relax with a cup of tea and reflect on the house.

A few blocks and several decades removed is Bloomsbury, where the Bloomsbury group, made up of 20th century artists, intellectuals, and writers, got their name. I didn't know much about them until I took a course on Virginia Woolf in grad school. Though I admire her, Woolf's fiction isn't my cup of tea. However, her diaries are fun, witty, and a fascinating window into the era. 

Gordon Square was home to several prominent members, the economist John Maynard Keynes and sisters Virginia Woolf and Vanessa Bell all lived at number 46, though at different times. Hey, it's an important distinction to make. This is the Bloomsbury group after all.

Nearby is Tavistock Square, where Virginia Woolf lived with her husband Leonard.

This memorial to Virginia Woolf stands near where they lived.

Interestingly, Dickens also lived in Tavistock square at one time. Ev'rybody wants to be in the stock!

Tavistock Square is also home to this famous statue of Ghandi as well as other memorials to those who have championed peace.

But closest to my heart is Peter Pan, the catalyst for my lifelong obsession with London. When I was a kid I loved Peter Pan so much that I begged my mom to change my name to Wendy. (This is a good example of why children should not be able to name themselves.) Thankfully she said no, but my love affair with the story of The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up and the Darling children continued. 

I decided to track down author J.M. Barrie's house near the northern part of Kensington Gardens he met the Llewelyn Davies boys who inspired his greatest creation. In fact, the character of Peter Pan first appears in a section of Barrie's novel The Little White Bird called "Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens". 

100 Bayswater Road at Leinster Corner is a private home.   

The only sign is the tell-tale blue plaque that marks many historically significant buildings throughout the city.

Kensington Gardens from 100 Bayswater Road. Perhaps this was where Barrie first encountered George, Jack, and Peter Llewelyn Davies while walking his Saint Bernard dog Porthos.