Dickens on the Ditch: Charles Dickens on the "..remarkable village of Redditch"

Charles Dickens, with his customary lyrical elegance, describes a place in industrial bloom and gives us insights into the lives of the people responsible for the building and developing of this manufacturing miracle in a beautiful corner of Worcestershire.

For over 300 years, the needle has been developed and exported from Redditch and surrounding areas. At its height, 90% of all the world's needles came from this one corner of the world. Such was its global renown, that it drew the attention of Charles Dickens, who wrote about the needle production process and about the town following his visits in both 1843 and 1852.

Charles Dickens considered knowledge sharing important and used 'The Penny Magazine of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge' and later the 'Household Word' to achieve just that!

Dickens painted Redditch as a forward thinking cosmopolitan town, the book goes on to consider the changes that have impacted on the town before and since. This book is invaluable for those interested in the social history of the mid-nineteenth century, or indeed the needle manufacture processes.

Dickens on the Ditch scrutinises Charles Dickens' observations and considers and compares the environment of his findings with facts and publications circulating at the time. It also offers numerous directions that studies might take from this fascinating part of Redditch's history from the only working water powered scouring mill left in the world, to its future and forward planning which can be seen in the only cloverleaf interchange road system in England.

This town has touched all the world with its products and it has a global story to tell about its journey to the 21st century.. and one of the most famous authors in our history considered it worthy of scrutiny and merit and return visits!

The book has six parts and is littered with dozens of illustrations:

The introduction: Explains how YOU are connected to the town.

Then serves you: Charles Dickens' first writings on Redditch

Followed by: Overview & needle-pointers defend their reputation

Then we read: Charles Dickens' second visit & writings on Redditch

Consider: Reflections and ruminations on Dicken's visit

Conclude with: Redditch then and now

Many of Charles Dickens' characters were based on real people and their lives. In his writings on Redditch he observed young children cutting, printing and pasting labels onto needle packets and you can't help but recall that he himself once worked sticking labels to jars. It is apparent through all his activities that he fought to better the lot of the working classes. Dickens describes some boys looking as if "they'd rather be playing marbles or at 'hop-scotch'" and that they would be "as fond of fun as any other boys". I think we hear his understanding and where his sympathies lie in these words.

So with this work you can take a direct look into what, almost undoubtably, formed part of Dicken's research and learn so much about the times he was trying to represent and open the population's eyes to.. ..and learn a great deal about a truly 'remarkable' town.