General interest

Bognor Regis Operatic Society are staging ‘The Mystery of Edwin Drood. This is the unfinished work of Dickens that has been turned into a brilliant musical Wnere the audience have the chance to choose the ending every performance from a possibility of 16 that the cast rehearse ready for any eventuality! Details

August 24, 2024 was a busy day, with a conducted tour of Charterhouse in the morning followed by a handover of the Presidency in the afternoon.

The guided tour of Charterhouse was conducted by resident Brother Mansel, also a Fellowship member. Attended by 23 people who braved the awful weather, it was pronounced a great success. Mansel took us on a fascinating journey of exploration of the history of Charterhouse from the 14th century times of Richard II and the Black Death, through the Reformation, Tudor, Stuart and Jacobean days, the Victorian era, right up to the present. The building itself is composed of a complex mix of architectures, features and influences which were all explained with great clarity as we went through the rooms and the grounds. 

This was followed by another brief ceremony at the Charles Dickens Museum in the afternoon. Cathy Waters, outgoing President of the Dickens Fellowship, passed the mantle (or rather medal) and responsibilities of the presidency onto our new President.   Sati McKenzie, Honorary General Secretary, gave our grateful thanks to Cathy for her hard work during her two-year tenure as president.   On a positive note,  Cathy has agreed to take on the demanding role of Editor of The Dickensian, so we will continue to have her expertise, efficiency and companionship on hand for the benefit of the Fellowship.  Sati then welcomed Lucinda Dickens Hawksley as our new President, and she in turn, said she looked forward to the challenges of the new role.  Lucinda is the great-great-great-granddaughter of Charles Dickens on the Henry Fielding Dickens side of the family.  An author, broadcaster and Dickens expert, she is particularly keen to encourage younger people to get involved with reading Dickens. 

Here is a selection of pictures  that were taken by members. In due course, they will all be captioned and arranged in suitable groups with duplications removed. However, I am sure members would like a quick preview.

The Presidents    The Handover    The New President  The New President and Brother Mansel 

Charterhouse 1    Charterhouse 2    Charterhouse 3  Charterhouse 4   Tapestries      The Chamber      

Chapel    Chapel2