National Art Library, 10 July 2026

On Friday 10 July, 2026, 16 members of the Central Dickens Fellowship visited the National Art Library at London's Victoria & Albert Museum.

There, we were privileged to view the original manuscripts of Dickens's Oliver Twist (1836), The Chimes (1844), and The Mystery of Edwin Drood (1870) along with several other unique items from the library's Forster collection.

Curators Elizabeth and Catherine had clearly put a lot of thought, time and effort into selecting and preparing appropriate items for us to view, and their commentary on the provenance and care of the collection was fascinating and hugely informative. 

Cream teas in one of the glorious ante-rooms of the museum's ground-floor café rounded the day off beautifully.