Victorian London - a social and literary maze

Oliver Twist asking for more food

London is repeatedly described as a labyrinth or a maze; once you enter, as Oliver does, it’s hard to get back out. In our Oliver Twist guided walk we explore Victorian rookeries, the narrow streets and the characters who walked along them.

The city of London in the novel Oliver Twist, it serves as another form of prison. It’s filthy, foggy, and crime-ridden, and things aren’t always as they seem. We explore Coldbath Fields Prison, general workhouse life for men, women and children and how Dickens’ experience with debt influenced his written works.

The Story So Far…

Oliver is on his own from the start. He’s sent from one scene of misery to the next. He sticks up for himself (first by asking for more food, then by hitting Noah in the face, and finally by running away). So, by the end of Chapter VII 9yr old Oliver Twist is completely on his own in the big bad world.

Oliver has been walking for seven days, he’s tired, hungry and alone. He meets a boy his age who offers to introduce him to a gentleman who will give him a place to sleep and food, for no rent. Oliver follows, and this is where our story begins….

Follow the footsteps of Oliver Twist and the Artful Dodger - Guided Walk

Victorian London was a dangerous place especially after dark, with highway men and other scoundrel’s waiting to pounce on anyone crossing their path. 

This 90 min walk follows the footsteps of Oliver Twist and the Artful Dodger on their final leg of their journey into London to reach Fagin’s lair. Find out more about Guided walks in London

Related blog posts:

Victorian London in Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

Social Topography of Victorian London, Charles Dickens

Guided Walks website

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