A Look At The London Streets That Inspired ‘A Christmas Carol’

TODAY takes a tour down the London streets and alleyways that may have inspired Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” nearly 180 years ago. NBC’s Kelly Cobiella reports.
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#author #london #achristmascarol

[@stormhawk3319]

A Christmas Carol wasn’t a long thought out creation of Dickens, he wrote the story, the characters had it illustrated and ready for publication in just 6 weeks. Genius storyteller.

[@JeepTJWheelin]

Tremendous to see all these shooting locations of my favorite version of A Christmas Carol. This 1951 with Alastair Sim is by far the best and only version I watch every year.

[@stevec404]

Jeep TJ Wheelin' - Agreed!

[@dwightropp3014]

@@stevec404 - And I second that agreement!

[@Px828]

Agreed. I watch it every year.

[@detroitos]

True. I just watched it yesterday.

[@RonRicho]

We took a Christmas Eve walking tour with Richard a couple years ago and I tell you it was a delight! He's not just a guide he's an entertainer as well.

[@luxeternal1258]

He sounds really fun.

[@stevec404]

Love the movie with Alastair Sim as Scrooge. I discover something 'new' in it every time I watch. The BEST on the subject for me!

[@luckystarship2275]

I'm a Londoner and I didn't know some of these places. I'll definitely been going to the George & Vulture in 2023. It's great to see a report on something cultural and historical.

[@lyndoncmp5751]

Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese on Fleet Street is better and more atmospheric, and Dickens drank there too 👍

[@esmeraldagomez185]

Awsome one of my favorites movies over and over throughout the years.

[@WillScarlet16]

This is what I instantly hated about Netflix's version of 'Christmas Carol' - the streets looked so clean and warm it was like poor people didn't even exist, like the horses never crapped in those streets. Dickens would have been appalled.

[@bettysmith4641]

My favorite "A Christmas Carol", is with Reginald Owen.

[@Appolyon]

Mine is with Sir Michael Caine. He plays the role of Ebenezer Scrooge just perfectly.

[@dwightropp3014]

@@Appolyon - You mean with the Muppets, lol! Yes, he was quite good there, especially when finally in remorse near the end. I was surprised how convincing he was at that point in his emotion and demeanour, though he doesn't quite surpass Sim at the top for me.

[@steveconradius390]

June Lockhart, who played the young Belinda Cratchit, is still alive and well at the age of 97! She is one of the last links to Old Hollywood and this Christmas classic.

[@dwightropp3014]

@@steveconradius390 - Wow, nice factoid! I did not know that. If memory serves, I do believe that she also played the part of the mother in TV's "Lost In Space" in the late-'60s.

[@marksieving7925]

@@steveconradius390 And June Lockhart's real parents, Gene Lockhart and Kathleen Lockhart, played Bob Cratchit and Mrs Cratchit in that version of the story.

[@shoshanaudelson4481]

I lived in London forty years ago, and worked near Leadenhall Market. A magical spot.

[@mandarkastronomonov2962]

I went on a Christmas Carol tour with Richard in December 2021. It was absolutely fantastic. As a Londoner, I know many historic locations, but what amazed me was just how he made "ordinary" looking streets come alive. You could also tell he was an actor and not just that but very informative. For example, when Scrooge said, "If they would rather die they had better do it and decrease the surplus population”, I had no idea until Richard explained, that Dickens was speaking against Thomas Malthus' theory of population control. If I get a free Saturday in December this year, I will be doing the tour again.

[@srobinson35]

This is such great information

[@indyjohn59]

The story was written in 1843 by a man who lived in London, in 1843, it was inspired by things that man saw....EVERYDAY....

[@guileniam]

That tour guide needs a raise.

[@samuelking9343]

Here here

[@corksown1965]

I have a personal story about A Christmas Carol and the film The Man Who Invented Christmas. I watched this film on 19th December 2020 the same day the book was published in 1843. So you may understand my surprise when I realised that it was the same day 177 years exactly to the day.

[@RebekahCurielAlessi]

Oh! I love this little essay!! ☺

[@jenniferwilson9579]

Love this!

[@downhilltwofour0082]

In my interpretation of the meaning of the story, Scrooge reached a point in his life when he realized what he had become and the reason for it. As a child he was no doubt, neglected by both his Mother and his Father. They no doubt had no time for him so he grew up emotionally and psycologically impoverished. The only thing he learned from his father was that you must not trust others for your well-being and only you could assure your ultimate survival in a cold unfeeling world. What triggered his epiphany of his life was no doubt his age and the realization that while his underling Cratchett had both love and devotion from and for his family is seen in the scene as Scrooge leaves his Office on Christmas Eve, he encounters a Crutch-using Tiny Tim, a boy with no future and no mittens to warm his little hands while waits patiently outside the Office for his father. Knowing that he (Scrooge) gave Tiny-Tims father enough to do that he would be late coming out of the Office, Scrooge never-the less went coldly on his way, not even offering the boy entrance into the Office. As Scrooge continued to his home to eat a Warmed up bowl of Potato soup and then to bed. He did in fact have a dream. It was a dream of his most pitiful decision to not accept love from his fiancé (past ghost) and how his father had treated him. How he then evolved to a wealthy man, but also the position of being not only loathed by his peers but also more painfully by their Pity. How through an unrelenting career to find his value, he had instead, isolated himself from any possibility of becoming a human, like those around him (Present ghost). And finally (Christmas future) he realized that if he continued to deprive himself of human feelings and admit to himself he needed real physical love of family, he would die rich but a pauper in every other sense of the word. To receive love you simply have to offer it to others with no conditions attached. Find a purpose driven life that includes service to the needs of others. I have been a fan of "The Christmas Carol" for 60 years. Last year I started studying the works of Doctor Gabor Mate (here on KZbin also). This year, for the first time I was able to apply the good Doctors discipline of analysis not only to my own personal life, but to this ageless wonderful story. I am a reader of Gabor Mate. If you want to know not only who you are but more importantly, why you are, I Recommend him! Indeed my writing here is an attempt to do what I've just described. Give love, even though it may be rejected!

[@dr.migilitoloveless2385]

It's good these locations weren't destroyed during the blitz in WWII.

[@JohannaLeigh]

Watch *"The Man Who Invented Christmas"* with Dan Stevens and, of course, Christopher Plummer as Scrooge. If you really dig into the story, Scrooge was something of Dickens 'dark side', that he had to deal with, by way of his father's wreckless fiscal behavior and how that effected Charles Dickens as a child. At the end of the day, the ghosts not only saved Scrooge, they also saved Dickens.

[@donufro]

A wonderful movie that doesn't get a lot of attention. It takes many liberties with facts, but the essence of the story's creation is spot-on.

[@lyndoncmp5751]

If they'd filmed this last week there would have been snow around.

[@artsmart]

Never been out of print! I wonder who get's the royalties for this favorite tale? For that matter, I wonder if Alastair Sim's estate get's anything for his great portrayal of Scrooge?

[@jasbindersingh2441]

Nobody. Authors only get that for 70 yrs from date of publication

[@michaelle8384]

Jacob marley is the decent of bob marley

[@michaelblaine6494]

Deep what?