Blue plaque commemorates Charles Dickens’ first public reading of A Christmas Carol

Birmingham Town Hall has been awarded a blue plaque by Birmingham Civic Society to mark a remarkable moment in literary history - the first public reading of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.

Dickens delivered the first reading of his classic A Christmas Carol on 27 December, 1853.

To mark the moment in history, a plaque has been unveiled by acclaimed Birmingham actor Anton Lesser, known for Wolf Hall, Endeavour, and Game of Thrones, and the Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Councillor Zafar Iqbal.

The unveiling coincided with a special evening at Town Hall - A Christmas Carol with Anton Lesser & the Orchestra of the Swan.

Lesser, who has recorded many of Dickens’ works as audiobooks, brought the story to life in the very space where Dickens performed it for the first time.

Rachel Cranny, head of Development and Impact at B:Music, the Birmingham music charity responsible for Town Hall, said: “Dickens had a genuinely special relationship with Birmingham, and his first readings at Town Hall marked a real moment in time for the city.

“He was very clear that he wanted these performances to be for working men and their families, which was highly unusual then and deeply important to him. Despite a wet and windy night, nearly 2,000 people attended and stayed for more than three hours as he read the story himself.

“The seating was cleared to allow as many people into Town Hall as possible, and the evening was a huge success.

“Dickens spoke of the great pleasure he took in sharing his ‘little Christmas book’ with the audience– a book that went on to become one of the most globally successful stories of all time.

“Those readings in Birmingham also marked the beginning of Dickens touring his own work, something he continued to do until his death.”

Nicola Gauld, Co-Chair of the Birmingham Civic Society Heritage Committee, added: “Birmingham Civic Society is pleased to award a blue plaque to commemorate the first ever reading of one of the world’s most famous stories, A Christmas Carol, given by Charles Dickens in December 1853 at the Town Hall.

“The Heritage Committee was intrigued to hear this story and strongly felt that it was a significant event in Birmingham’s past that should be commemorated and celebrated.”

The plaque forms part of the wider Amplify Town Hall project, an ambitious refurbishment and archive initiative led by B:Music with the support of £123,651 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Over recent months, the project has captured and celebrated the extraordinary history of Birmingham’s oldest events venue.

Through the project, B:Music and Birmingham Music Archive, with the help of volunteers, have compiled a new archive of over 1,500 items of memorabilia spanning Town Hall’s 191-year history.

The project has actively involved the community, recruiting 29 volunteers who have been trained in archive techniques such as oral history capture and digitisation, and hosting five archive drop-in events.

The new permanent archive installation throughout the lower floor and backstage of the venue, unveiled alongside the blue plaque, includes a timeline documenting nearly two centuries of Town Hall history.

A new digital archive, designed in collaboration with Birmingham Open Media, is planned for launch, making Town Hall’s heritage accessible worldwide for the first time.

Pictured: Chair of BMusic Anita Bhalla, Lord Mayor of Birmingham Cllr Zafar Iqbal and Anton Lesser