A slice of
London’s literary history went up for grabs today as a £2.8 million For Sale
sign was hoisted over Charles Dickens’ old home behind Chancery Lane station.
Dickens House at 15 Took’s
Court is believed to be where the writer created the character of Ebenezer
Scrooge in A Christmas Carol — reputedly based on a tight-fisted neighbour.
Gryphon Property Partners,
selling the office building on behalf of a private owner, says local
tradition suggests Dickens lived there when he was a Parliamentary reporter. It
was renamed Cook’s Court by the author in his novel Bleak House and was the
office of legal clerk Mr Snagsby. The property is let to music impresario
Raymond Gubbay, one of the country’s leading promoters of popular classical
music all over the country, until 2019.
Gryphon says the building
could appeal to investors or businesses that want to use the property for their
own head office.
News of the sale comes
amid protests from Dickens societies worldwide over plans to build a basement
next to the Bloomsbury home of the museum that is devoted to the author.
Protesters fear the museum in Doughty Street could be disrupted for six months
and could be damaged by the work.
If you are interested in viewing Took's Court please call Gryphon Property Partners on 0203 440 9800 or click on the following link - Took's Court