Charles Dickens’ Swiss Writing Chalet saved for generations to come

Credit Nick Johnson,The ImageWorks

Steve Martin (l) and Nick Baines from Dickens Fellowship with 

Sue Haydock, Chairman of the Friends of Eastgate House

The chalet where Charles Dickens wrote some of his last novels is set to get a new lease of life thanks to support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, in time for National Writing Day on Wednesday 24 June.

The Charles Dickens Writing Chalet, set in the gardens of Eastgate House, just off Rochester High Street, will receive a £240,000 to help develop plans to restore the architectural treasure and open it up to the public. Now over 160 years old, this Grade I listed structure, situated in Eastgate Gardens, is extremely fragile and at serious risk of being lost.

The attractive Grade I listed chalet is where Charles Dickens worked on several of his novels including Our Mutual Friend (1864–65), The Uncommercial Traveller (1861–69), and his final, unfinished work The Mystery of Edwin Drood (1870). Dickens also used to rehearse here for his many public appearances and it is believed the second floor was lined with mirrors for this purpose. 

The chalet was given to him as a present from an actor friend, Charles Fechter, in 1864 when he lived at Gads Hill in Higham and was moved to its current location in the historic town of Rochester in the 1960s. 

The project will conserve and restore the Chalet, creating a new setting inspired by the ‘Wilderness Garden’ of Dickens’ home at Gad’s Hill. Working in partnership with Friends of Eastgate House, if development plans are successful, they will unlock a further funding of £1.2m from the Heritage Fund. 

Eilish McGuinness, Chief Executive, The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: ‘I’m pleased we are adding the Charles Dickens Writing Chalet, the writing nook where he wrote his last novels in peace and tranquillity, to the writing heritage we’ve funded over the years. 

Cllr Nina Gurung, Medway Council’s Portfolio Holder for Heritage, Culture and Leisure, said: “Having personally had conversations with the Friends of Eastgate House and Dickens Fellowship about the importance of breathing new life into this precious hidden gem in Medway, I am absolutely thrilled to announce this successful funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.