A BLUE PLAQUE to commemorate world famous author, Charles Dickens, and his connections to Brighton was unveiled by his great-great-grandson, Ian Dickens, last week, at the Holiday Inn Hotel Brighton.
The unveiling of the plaque was to mark the 200th anniversary year of the author's birth.
The hotel stands on the site of the former Bedford Hotel, where Dickens was a frequent guest on his many trips to Brighton.
The unveiling, which took place on the seafront site at 12pm on Wednesday (8 February), included speeches from the Deputy Mayor and Chair of the Commemorative Plaque Panel.
In its heyday, the Bedford was a luxurious and fashionable venue with notable guests including royalty and celebrities of the day.
It was also referenced in Graham Greene’s novel, Brighton Rock, thinly disguised as the 'Cosmopolitan' where it was the base for the major Brighton gang leader 'Mr Colleoni'.
Brighton councillor Geoffrey Bowden, cabinet member for culture, recreation and tourism, said the Bedford had also had its own plaque to honour Dickens but it was lost during the fire.
The five-storey Georgian building opened as a hotel in 1829 and the original plaque was unveiled in 1925.
The current 17-storey building opened in 1967, including hotel rooms and the residential flats of Bedford Towers.
He said references to Brighton in Dickens's works could be seen in Dombey and Son, where Paul Dombey is sent away to Brighton and educated at Doctor and Mrs Blimber's School in Upper Rock Gardens.
Other references can be found in Bleak House, Nicholas Nickleby, and Sketches by Boz.
Funding for the blue plaque has come from a number of sources including a generous donation by the residents of Bedford Towers and the building’s freeholder, as well as a contribution from the Brighton & Hove Commemorative Plaque Panel.
Cllr Geoffrey Bowden, Cabinet Member Culture, Recreation and Tourism, says: “Blue plaques raise awareness of the great and the good who have had connections with our city.
“Charles Dickens excites huge interest globally, and we are delighted to be able to mark his connection with and love of our city, in this way – especially in the bi-centenary of his birth.”
Article courtesy of Love Brighton, the free weekly paper for Brighton and Hove.
