One of the joys of living near London is having easy access to explore the homes of some of the most important figures in history. If, like me, you're a bit nosey it's fascinating to experience how people lived in a bygone era. When you can actually see their furnishings, ornaments, paintings on the walls and see what books they read you start to understand what type of person lived there.
If this is the sort of thing that tickles your curiosity, I would definately recommend a visit to the home of one of most inflential writers of the Victorian era, Thomas Carlyle.
Carlyle was the son of a Scottish stonemason. He moved to Chelsea from Scotland with his wife Jane in 1834 seeking recognition of his literary prowess. His books include "The Life of Schiller (1825)", "German Romance (1827)", "The French Revolution (1837)", "Sartor Resartus (1838)", "Chartism (1839)", "Heroes and Hero-Workship (1841)" "Past and Present (1843)", "Oliver Cromwell (1845)" and "Frederick the Great (1858-65)".
Thomas Carlyle's house consists of 4 floors. You can wander around the basement kitchen, back room hall, first floor drawing room, bedroom, second floor landing and attic study at your own pace soaking up the atmosphere. The garden is a peaceful spot to wander in the footsteps of a man who influenced some of the greatest writers of the era - Ruskin, Browning and Dickens.
Thomas and Jane were married for 40 years. Their marriage was unconventional to say the least. There were frequent arguments, rumours about Thomas' fidelity and that the marriage may never have been consumated. During their marriage Jane wrote a large number of letters to Carlyle whenever they were apart. These letters are a fascinating insight into life in the Carlyle household.
For more information, on visiting Thomas Carlyle's House, please visit the following site:-
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-carlyleshouse.htm
Thomas Carlyle's House is located at:-
24 Cheyne Row, Chelsea, London SW3 5HL
Telephone: 020 7352 7087
From 14 March - 26 October it is open from 2pm-5pm Wed-Friday
and 11am-5pm Saturday and Sunday