The Dickens Swiss Chalet is one of the most iconic buildings in English literature, but it is in urgent and desperate need of repair and conservation. The Rochester and Chatham branch of the Dickens Fellowship set up an appeal some years ago and the chalet has been stabilised for the immediate future, but the cost of making it accessible and able to take its place in history will be enormous, and out of the reach of local groups.
However, now we are seeing the launch of a promising partnership between Medway Council and the Friends of Eastgate House. Their website is 'The Charles Dickens' Writing Chalet'
and they have a contact page where you can register your interest and keep up with progress
The two storey Swiss Chalet, where
Dickens wrote some of his greatest works,
is now sited in the gardens of Eastgate House in Rochester High Street. It was given to Dickens by the French actor Charles Fechter,
arriving in ninety four pieces on Christmas Eve 1864. In a precursor to many 'DIY' jokes, Dickens attempted to construct the Chalet with the help of his friends but failed disastrously. Eventually he went to the stage carpenter of the Lyceum Theatre in London for help. The Chalet was erected on land Dickens owned across the road from his house on Gads Hill. Access was by an underpass which he had built under the road in 1859 because he was unhappy with the traffic
and the mud. The Chalet was oriented to allow views of the river Thames in the distance, and he set up a telescope so that he could see passing boats. His biographer Forster describes the interior of the Chalet in great detail, and describes five mirrors and several bronze ornaments representing toads in comical situations. It is clear that Dickens loved the Chalet as a retreat as well as a calm place to work.
On the day of his death, 9 June 1870, Dickens was working on 'The Mystery of Edwin Drood' in the chalet. Late in the afternoon he was on his way back to the house when he collapsed and died from a stroke.
After Dickens' death
After Dickens' death
the
chalet passed to his eldest son, then to Dickens's
sister-in-law Georgina Hogarth, and later to the then Lord Darnley, who
erected it in the grounds of Cobham Park. We understand that the Chalet deteriorated over time, and at one stage was sold to the Dickens Fellowship for a nominal amount.
the Swiss Chalet still carries traces of the indignity it suffered when camouflage paint was applied to disguise it in World War II.
The Swiss Chalet as it is now
The Chalet is a remarkable and fascinating reminder of Dickens' connection with the Rochester area. At the time of writing it is to be found is in the garden of Eastgate house. From the outside it looks in good condition, but in practice it is very fragile and not safe to enter. Preparatory work in restoring it to its rightful condition has revealed structural weakness which dates back to an earlier restoration.
More about the Swiss Chalet
Some time ago The Rochester and Chatham Dickens Fellowship published a slim volume, 'Dickens Swiss Chalet', by their Vice President John Knott, which includes fascinating information and rare photographs on the subject of Dickens and the chalet. We will find out and report here if there are any copies left for sale.
References and further reading
John Forster 'The Life of Charles Dickens' available as a free download (seen Jan 2016)(large file!)
'The Victorian Web' website (seen Oct 2015) has a useful page about the chalet, which in turn refers to:
Forster, John. The Life of Charles Dickens. The "Charles Dickens Edition." 2 vols. London: Chapman and Hall
