Thomas and Jane Carlyle's Home

24 Cheyne Row, Chelsea, London

[Disponible en español]

Carlyle lived in the house at 24 Cheyne Row (then number 5) for 47 years, from 1834 until his death in 1881, and was visited here by Ruskin, Tennyson and many others. The attic study was added in 1853, to afford him more peace to write. Despite its double walls, it was not as quiet as he had hoped. Nevertheless, this is where he wrote The French Revolution, Heroes and Hero-Worship, Frederick the Great and so on. Another important part of the house for him was its garden, where he could go out in his dressing-gown and straw hat and smoke his pipe, with Jane's dog Nero beside him. Under the leadership of Sir Leslie Stephen, the Carlyle Memorial Trust bought up the house just after his death, so both house and garden are still very much as he left them. One of his hats still hangs in the hall, while Nero's lead is in a display cabinet.

  • Potrait plaque of Carlyle by Creswick and Voysey
  • Garden

    • Photograph and text by Jacqueline Banerjee

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