Just caught a blurb on NPR promo about upcoming report on Britain's new Literary Theme Park, called Dickens World. Unfortunately i won't be around to hear the report, UK folks any info on Dickens World and what it's like?

It's very newly opened so I don't know anyone who's been there yet, but there's been a lot of local publicity.

It's inside a gigantic warehouse hanger type building in Chatham. Recreations of London streets, people dressed up as characters talking to the visitors, that sort of thing.

thanks nona - i probably passed it last Feb when i walked from Chatham town centre to the Historic Docks thing - sounds like in that area. Wished i would have known about it then just to see it from the outside. thanks.

Featured attractions are one of Europe’s largest dark boat rides, the Haunted house of Ebenezer Scrooge, a state-of-the art animatronic show, Victorian School Room, 4D high definition show and Fagin’s Den. Sounds pretty hideous but I might take a wander round one day out of curiosity.

Here's their site: http://www.dickensworld.co.uk/

Well having been so immersed in Dickens works for years yes it may be worth a look - thanks for website. Sounds may be family/kid oriented but so what - the inner child in us all. If you do go give a report. thanks again.

See also this thread from last month:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessa...p;tid=34981237

Whatever it takes to get a kid to read Dickens-sounds like a great idea!

Personally, I have Great Expectations for this park.

OK let's go - i wonder if there will be open Christmas Day and force workers to work that day?

So a Tale of Two Cities is Rochester and Chatham?

"Please, sir, can I have some more?"

my fave - the great expectations flome ride.

so dickensian.



regards, ann

As one enters the park-"Tis a far better theme I do now than I have ever done before..." and, oh yes, do look out for the Madame Defarge knitted scarves at the gift shop.

I'm tempted to go on the Bank Holiday now, I bet it would be a laugh. But at £12.50?

It's not only for kids- from the website:

"A series of 'burlesque' evening dinner shows are being especially created to provide a nightly menu of 'naughty delights' in the 'Free and Easy' Victorian Music Hall'"

LOL

Although there is always something cruelly ironic about a themepark that carefully reconstructs slum tenements, I think this looks like good tacky fun. I would have loved this as a kid, and I agree that anything that gets kids reading (Dickens no less) is a good thing.

oops, i meant "flume ride"

bet dickens never made that particular mistake.

regards, ann

Well i did catch the NPR story that interviewed the park's director on the eve of its opening:

Director said it's not a theme park but a themed entertainment park - sounds like the plethora of "Experiences" all around UK - many of which seem rather tacky. (London Dungeon; Jorvik York, etc.) He said the rides were 'not white knuckle but pink knuckle'

$25 a head - probably 12.50 pounds (wonder if 2 for 1 with a train ticket?)

One 'ride' floats people over a reconstituted Dickensian London - onward thru the fog (motto of Austin, Texas' Oat Willie's Dept Store's Power Hitter) and over chimneys before descending into a sewer (director touts re-created smells the place has) where you pass by mechanical rats.

And there is a re-created Debtors' Prison - modeled after the one Dickins' dad stayed a term in.

And director made no apologies for the goal of making money on this - he says the Old Curiosity Shop(pe?) will sell all kinds of Dickens themed things and will include some very upscale designer stuff. He said if Dickens were looking down from Heaven he would agree with the money-grubbing goal as he, the director, said always had a desire to turn his work into profits as much as possible.

And the director skirted the issue of some academics decrying the place as a Disneyization of Dickens... but he quickly pushed this aside by saying the artist's great grandson is an integral part of the planning and profits and agin saying how Dickens would have done just the same.

www.npr.com has a look at Dickens World posted.

HARRY POTTER WORLD - can it be far behind or maybe there is a Potter Experience already (besides Beatrice)...
if not now maybe in 100 years?

A nature component to Dickens World is the Historic Chatham Dockyards where a museum to the shipping heyday of Chatham has been made in another old shipping warehouse.

When they say "Dickens World" looks like if it was like Harry Potter's..I mean, invented. Dickens World was , except for Hard Times, London. Don't know if I would really like a recreation of the slums...I prefer to see Seven Dials as it is now
After having read a lot of Dickens novels ( I did a course at university on his work) , I still don't know why his novels are expected to be read by children. I found most of them very obscure in meaning, even though they are "on the surface" stories with kids involved.

Each June and December, Rochester (an hour by train from central London) has a dickens festival :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rochester,_Kent

There's a lot of Dickens connections in the area. Last bank holiday I went to Rochester and visited The Six Poor Travellers (almshouses)in the high street. Very interesting little building and garden, which was the inspiration and setting for the Dickens story 'The seven poor travellers'. It's free, and well worth a look if you are in the area.