
Dickens House at 15 Took's Court, London
Constructed in 1720 and named after Thomas Tooke of London Esquyre, this residence served as Dickens' dwelling during his tenure as a parliamentary journalist. According to a 2016 article in the Evening Standard, it was at this location that Dickens is believed to have conceived the character of the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge for his famous work "A Christmas Carol", purportedly drawing inspiration from his frugal neighbor. This intriguing tidbit was attributed to Gryphon Property Partners, who affixed a £2.8 million price tag to the building.
In Dickens' novel "Bleak House," this location underwent a name change to Cook's Court and served as the workplace of the contemplative law stationer Mr. Snagsby, who "dealt in all sorts of blank forms of legal process; in skins and rolls of parchment; in paper—foolscap, brief, draft, brown, white, whitey-brown, and blotting; in stamps; in office-quills, pens, ink, India-rubber, pounce, pins, pencils, sealing-wax, and wafers; in red tape and green ferret; in pocket-books, almanacs, diaries, and law lists; in string boxes, rulers, inkstands—glass and leaden—pen-knives, scissors, bodkins, and other small office-cutlery; in short, in articles too numerous to mention." He was "the high standard of comparison among neighboring wives, a long way down Chancery Lane on both sides."
In Dickens' novel "Bleak House," this location underwent a name change to Cook's Court and served as the workplace of the contemplative law stationer Mr. Snagsby, who "dealt in all sorts of blank forms of legal process; in skins and rolls of parchment; in paper—foolscap, brief, draft, brown, white, whitey-brown, and blotting; in stamps; in office-quills, pens, ink, India-rubber, pounce, pins, pencils, sealing-wax, and wafers; in red tape and green ferret; in pocket-books, almanacs, diaries, and law lists; in string boxes, rulers, inkstands—glass and leaden—pen-knives, scissors, bodkins, and other small office-cutlery; in short, in articles too numerous to mention." He was "the high standard of comparison among neighboring wives, a long way down Chancery Lane on both sides."
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Dickens House at 15 Took's Court on Map
Sight Name: Dickens House at 15 Took's Court
Sight Location: London, England (See walking tours in London)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Sight Location: London, England (See walking tours in London)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Walking Tours in London, England
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