Charles Dickens Birthplace Museum is a Grade I listed building in the Portsmouth local planning authority area, England. First listed on 10 January 1953. Museum. 2 related planning applications.
Charles Dickens Birthplace Museum
- WRENN ID
- young-parapet-harvest
- Grade
- I
- Local Planning Authority
- Portsmouth
- Constituency
- Portsmouth South MP: Stephen Morgan (Lab)
- Country
- England
- Date first listed
- 10 January 1953
- Type
- Museum
- Address
- Charles Dickens Birthplace Museum, 393, Old Commercial Road, City of Portsmouth, PO1 4QL
- OS grid reference
- SU 644 012
- Coordinates
- 50.80705, -1.08727
- Source
- Historic England listing
Description
The Charles Dickens Birthplace Museum is a house that now serves as a museum, dating from the late 18th century. It is constructed of red brick in Flemish bond and features a plain tile hipped roof with a brick stack on the right. The building has two storeys, an attic, and a basement, with a two-bay facade.
Approaching the entrance, visitors ascend five stone steps flanked by attached railings to reach a recessed door with six fielded panels, where the upper panels are glazed. The door is surrounded by panelled reveals, narrow pilasters, and a cut pediment. On the right side, the first floor has two 12-pane sash windows, while the ground floor features sashes with attached shutters. A brick dentil band with a stone cap runs along the top, leading to a stone coped parapet. A hipped dormer with a 6-pane sash window is also present.
Charles Dickens was born in this house on February 7, 1812, when it was known as 1 Mile End Terrace, Landport, or 387 Mile End Road. The building is listed as Grade I due to its historical significance as the birthplace of Charles Dickens.
Local climate
Charles Dickens Birthplace Museum receives an average of 810 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 52% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is greater than that of 77% of listed buildings.
It experiences an average of 19 freeze-thaw cycles a year, fewer than 79% of listed buildings. Of these, 8 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.
Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.
More on this building
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- No EPC on record for this property
- No sale records on file
- Related listed building consents — 2 applications
- Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
- Flood risk assessment
- Radon risk assessment
- Weather exposure and heating demand — rain and frost month by month and year by year, wind direction, solar and humidity
Matched applications, energy data and sale records are assembled automatically and may contain errors. Flag incorrect data.
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