Blue plaque to mark iconic literary event

Dickens gave his first reading of A Christmas Carol at Town Hall

- STAFF REPORTER

A BLUE plaque to commemorate the first ever public reading of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens himself at Birmingham Town Hall, in December 1853, is to be unveiled.

The town hall is to be awarded the plaque by Birmingham Civic Society to mark the remarkable moment in literary history.

The plaque will be unveiled on Monday, December 15, by Birmingham actor Anton Lesser, known for Wolf Hall, Endeavour, and Game of Thrones.

The unveiling coincides with a special evening at the Town Hall: A Christmas Carol with Anton Lesser and Orchestra of the Swan.

Anton will bring the story to life in the very space where Dickens performed it for the first time.

Nicola Gauld, co-chair of the Birmingham Civic Society Heritage Committee, said: "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.