Chelsea

Carlyle's House

Carlyle's House, the home of the famous 19th century historian Thomas Carlyle, is not just a building reflecting the life of some historian from the dim and distant past. It reflects a way of living in Victorian times, especially among Britain's leading literary luminaries and her artists and historians.

Carlyle's House is a fascinating place to visit for lovers of history and literature, and for people who are interested in the Victorian era. Just to whet your appetite, Carlyle was a very dour Scotsman who kept his house in prim and proper order. His hat is still hanging in the front hall, there are drawers with his clothes in, sofas you are encouraged to lie on, and his grimly austere study is upstairs on the second floor.

He was visited by such Victorian legends as the novelists Charles Dickens and George Eliot, the poet Alfred Lord Tennyson, and the composer Frederic Chopin. Carlyle was also lucky enough to have Oscar Wilde living just round the corner, although Wilde's house was far more colourful and outrageous than Carlyle's, not surprisingly.

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