The Visit
Medway website tells us:
"Dickens
World takes visitors on a journey through Dickens' lifetime as you step back
into Dickensian England and are immersed in the streets, sounds and smells of
the 19th century.
Dickens World features the "Great
Expectations indoor tour, the "Haunted Man", Dotheboy's Hall School Room with
touch screen technology, a 4D cinema show in Peggotty's Boathouse, the Britannia
Theatre - an animatronic stage show introducing you to some of Dickens'
characters and Fagin's Den, a soft play area for younger
visitors."
The Dickens
World website tells us:
"Our professional, performing arts,
tour guides will take you on a journey of discovery, bringing to life, the most
affecting and colourful characters; in this powerful and at times hilariously
funny exposé of Dickens’ works.
Peggotty’s Cinema Show - The tour
starts off with Peggotty’s Boathouse, made famous in the novel David
Copperfield. Here you will be introduced to Dickens’ life and travels throughout
Europe and America.
Old Green Copper Rope Bridge - You
are then immersed in the sights and sounds from the scenes of Victorian London.
Walk across the rope bridges and travel the footsteps back in time to our
Victorian themed courtyard.
Explore Collards Greengrocers, this
shop really did exist and was originally situated in North Street, just up the
road from Dickens’ favourite pub in Rochester. Here you will learn about the
different social classes within the Victorian era’s very structured
society.
Just next door you will enter the
Barbers Shop; the backstreet Barbers were a feature of everyday life. Here you
will be able to see how a Victorian Barber shop looked back in the
day.
Moving on you will enter the River
Walk. Here you will be told about nasty Jack the Ripper.
Marshalsea Debtors Prison – Then
enter the Marshalsea Prison. The Marshalsea was a debtor’s prison. In Victorian
times, if the bread winner of the family ended up here, their families would
have to join them in the prison; the bread winner would stay locked up whilst
their family went out to earn money in order to pay off the debt. Dickens’
father, John Dickens, was sent here when Charles was just a young
boy.
Once you have been freed from the
Marshalsea Prison you will need to hurry back into the courtyard… for the very
miserable and abusive school Head Master will be awaiting your
arrival.
Here you will enter Dotheboy’s Hall
where your Victorian lesson will begin.
Haunted Man – When class is
dismissed you will then enter the Haunted Man. This area of Dickens World is
dark and sinister but you must be bold and go inside as the house features some
of the most creepy and memorable characters that Charles Dickens wrote about.
The voice of Charles Dickens’ great grandson, Gerald Dickens will introduce you
to a whole host of spooky holographs also known as “pepper’s ghosts”, an
invention of the period used to create ghostly
illusions."