Gerald Dickens - The Day That Dickens Nearly Died featuring 'The Signalman'

Event Description

The story of the Staplehurst Railway crash and the theatrical retelling of 'The Signalman'.

The story behind the great Staplehurst rail crash of 1865.

On June 9^th 1865 Charles Dickens was a passenger on the tidal train from Folkestone to London as it crashed off a bridge between the Kentish of villages Headcorn and Staplehurst killing 10 and injuring 40 more.  The great author was fortunate to escape with his life and spent 3 hours assisting in the rescue effort.

Charles’s great great grandson Gerald Dickens has written a book about the crash and will be appearing at The Guildhall sharing his research into the circumstances which led to the tragedy.  Not only will Gerald talk about his great great grandfather’s involvement but also introduce us to those working on the train and the other passengers.

Gerald will also perform the haunting ghost story The Signalman written just a year after the crash and which was certainly inspired by Charles Dickens’s experiences.

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