THE DICKENS HOUSE AND THE DICKENS HOUSE FUND

Registered charity 212172 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as CHARLES DICKENS MUSEUM

The preservation of the last remaining house in London of Charles Dickens as well as a substantial collection of material relating to his life and work, and operating a museum to make these available for educational purposes to the general public, scholars and researchers.

Objects

(1) THE OBJECT OF THE CHARITY IS TO PROMOTE, ENCOURAGE, MAINTAIN, IMPROVE AND ADVANCE EDUCATION OF THE PUBLIC IN THE LIFE AND WORKS OF CHARLES DICKENS AND TO ESTABLISH AND MAINTAIN THE PROPERTY AT 48 DOUGHTY STREET IN THE LONDON BOROUGH OF CAMDEN AS A MUSEUM TO HOUSE AND PRESERVE ALL ARTICLES HAVING CONNECTION WITH CHARLES DICKENS. (2) THE LAND IDENTIFIED IN PART 1 OF THE SCHEDULE TO THIS SCHEME MUST BE RETAINED BY THE TRUSTEES FOR USE FOR THE OBJECT OF THE CHARITY.

Area of benefit: NOT DEFINED.

The charity’s charitable objects and area of benefit, quoted from its governing document as held on the Charity Commission register.

Causes: Education/training · Arts/culture/heritage/science · website · Get email alerts

Registered contact address: Camden, London, England (from the postcode on the register)

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the charity generated a net income of £7,635 for the year ended 31 March 2025, with total unrestricted funds amounting to £539,367. The trustees report a reserves policy targeting a minimum of six months' core overheads (approximately £300,000), and the general unrestricted funds of £330,648 exceed this stated target. The independent auditor confirmed that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future.

Automated summary of the FY2025 accounts; the evidenced findings below carry the verbatim passages.

What the accounts disclose

Accounts audited by SBM Associates Limited. Discloses 4 of 6 completeness components.

Policies the charity declares

In its annual return the charity told the Commission that it has the policies listed below. This is self-declared: it is not verified by the Commission or by this site, and it is not evidence of how a policy works in practice.

• Bullying and harassment policy and procedures
• Complaints handling
• Complaints policy and procedures
• Conflicting interests
• Financial reserves policy and procedures
• Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures
• Internal risk management policy and procedures
• Investment
• Paying staff
• Risk management
• Safeguarding policy and procedures
• Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
• Serious incident reporting policy and procedures
• Social media policy and procedures
• Trustee conflicts of interest policy and procedures
• Trustee expenses policy and procedures
• Volunteer management

From the charity’s annual return (Part A, self-declared)

Answers and figures the charity gave in Part A of its annual return to the Charity Commission. They are self-declared: not verified by the Commission or by this site. Only positive answers and figures are listed; items not listed are simply not shown.

Source: this charity’s annual returns on the Charity Commission register.

Corporate structure

• Registered company of the charity Companies House 08204803

Funders the charity credits

Named as funders/supporters on the charity’s own website (the charity’s claim, distinct from accounts-verified grants).

• City Pickwick Club — “These include: City Pickwick Club” (source page)
• Friends of the National Libraries — “Friends of the National Libraries” (source page)
• Garfield Weston Foundation — “Garfield Weston Foundation” (source page)
• Mercers’ Charitable Foundation — “Mercers’ Charitable Foundation” (source page)
• National Heritage Memorial Fund — “National Heritage Memorial Fund” (source page)
• National Lottery Heritage Fund — “National Lottery Heritage Fund” (source page)
• The Wolfson Foundation — “The Wolfson Foundation” (source page)

Company officers (Companies House)

Current officers of the charity’s own company per the Companies House register, cross-checked against the Charity Commission trustee list by name. A director not on the trustee list is usually a timing or naming difference between the two registers — check both records before drawing conclusions.

• KURUP, Prakash Divaker — director, appointed 12/09/2024not on trustee list
• CLEMENTS, Kate Heather — director, appointed 07/03/2024not on trustee list
• ELLARD, Ian — director, appointed 07/03/2024not on trustee list
• WALLER, Elizabeth Jane — director, appointed 14/09/2023not on trustee list
• CRANMER, Sarah Jane — director, appointed 14/09/2023not on trustee list
• JOHN, Malcolm Victor — director, appointed 14/09/2023not on trustee list
• ALLEN, Paul Barry — director, appointed 08/03/2023not on trustee list
• BYRNE, Anne Dilys — director, appointed 01/07/2021not on trustee list
• RIDLEY, Sarah Jane — director, appointed 01/07/2021not on trustee list
• HINES, Penelope — director, appointed 01/07/2021not on trustee list
• BENNETT, Neil Edward Francis — director, appointed 12/03/2020not on trustee list
• BOWERS, Elizabeth — director, appointed 12/03/2020not on trustee list
• LYNES-TIMBRELL, Sandra — director, appointed 12/03/2020not on trustee list

Official officers record.

Property (HM Land Registry)

2 registered titles in England and Wales held by the charity’s company or corporate body (2 freehold). All charity-held property. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright, OGL v3.0.

Public profiles (found on the charity’s own website): instagram

Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/03/2025)

Reported reserves equal ~6.7 months of spending — above the median for charities its size (median 5.2 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, largest income source: Charitable activities (59% of income) — components as reported reconcile to the return’s total income; not from the accounts narrative.

Per its annual return, cost of raising funds: 21.6% of total income — in the top quarter for charities its size (median 4.9%) (benchmarks).

Trustees · trustee networks

• The Charles Dickens Museum Limited

Trustee list from the Charity Commission register (current, not historical).

Operates in: Throughout England And Wales

Income and spending

Common questions

Known funders

Grants to this charity found in funders’ own accounts filings.

Government & lottery funding

Grants to this charity published as open data by government and lottery funders (360Giving).

Funders of similar charities

Funders whose accounts show grants to charities similar to this one (and no recorded grant to this charity) — a starting list for fundraisers.

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with THE COBDEN CENTRE.

• THE COBDEN CENTRE income £52k
• JOHN DAKYN'S ALMSHOUSE CHARITY income £76k
• BISHOP CREIGHTON HOUSE SETTLEMENT income £845k
• ERASMUS DARWIN FOUNDATION income £142k
• THE MARDEN HOUSE CENTRE income £65k
• THE DOMINION HOUSE CHURCH income £40k

Side by side with its peers

Each row is that charity’s latest analysed filing; every value is quote-backed on its own page.