Whitbread, Josiah, Whitbread's New Plan of London: Drawn from Authentic Surveys. 1853. Map. Library of Congress, Washington, DC, https://www.loc.gov/resource/g5754l.fi000101/?r=-0.218,0.158,1.336,0.555,0.
This is a map of London around the time of the ghost trip Scrooge took in Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol. A teacher might use this map to show students the route Scrooge took as well as to show the difference between London in the 1800s and London today. Charles Dickens is a much-read author in most schools even today, and A Christmas Carol is one of his most popular books for the ninth-grade reading level. Students can pick out many relevant holiday traditions, and trace their origin, through these historical touchstones.
This survey map of London from 1853 is close to the year Scrooge would have taken the Christmas Eve flight that changed his life. It is possible to identify the places Scrooge visited with the three ghosts on this primary source map.
Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol in just six short weeks in 1843. The novella was started in October and finished by December. Said to be a gift for his solicitor, the story was thought up in his head while he took long walks about London. Though the story seems simple, it is actually a deep social commentary meant to answer the injustices taking place after the Industrial Revolution. At the same time, many see this story as an introduction to the new holiday traditions being embedded into British culture during the mid 1800s.
- In what ways have the streets of London appeared to change over the past 165 years?
- Cartography has changed quite a bit over the years; what differences do you notice in how maps are designed then versus now?
- Are landmarks the same or different from those in the time of Dickens? How do you know either way?
Common Core Literacy Standards
RI.9-10.3 Analyze how the author unfolds an analysis or series of ideas or events, including the order in which the points are made, how they are introduced and developed, and the connections that are drawn between them.
- Students can follow the plot of the Dickens tale while following along with the map, plotting the sequence of events as they take place.
RI.9-10.9 Analyze documents of historical and literary significance, including how they address related themes and concepts.
- As this is a historical document, students can connect the historical significance of London’s landmarks to the literary significance of 1840s London.
RL.9-10.3 Analyze how complex characters develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.
- While students follow landmarks on the map, they can also follow the plot and complex character development as they read.
- Share a map of present-day London with students. Then project this map of London in the 1850s. Discuss with students what destinations Scrooge visits on his night flight with the three ghosts. Identify these locations on both maps.
- A second activity to engage students beyond discussion would be to give each student a paper copy of a London map, then have students use this map from 1850 to label their own maps with all of Scrooge’s major destinations. To elevate the assignment for advanced students, have them pull quotes from the text to defend each destination’s location.
- To continue discussions for deeper analysis, talk about what has changed between old London and new London by using this 1850s map and Google Maps Street View. Have students first brainstorm in small groups about what they think might be different—for instance, the streets might have been made of bricks, whereas today we can see they are clearly made of asphalt. Have each group make a list, then discuss as a whole class. The lists could even include street names that have changed and buildings that have been built or torn down since Scrooge's time.
It is fairly unlikely that this primary source, in and of itself, would get challenged because it is a map of London; however, because it is a map of a location in another country, some might prefer a study to be done of a map closer to home. In that case, consider using a map of a large city in the United States, such as this map of Boston in 1883, which could be compared with a present-day map of Boston. This approach would give students a nice evaluation tool for the late 1800s and today without studying another country.
- Consider having students do a similar comparison in their home state—using, for instance, this linked Kansas map from 1893. Students could make a comparison in their home state between the 1800s and the present day.
- If students are doing an alternative novel, look up the setting of the selected text and do the same map comparison with that book. For instance, if they are doing the book Little Women, have them look at this 1860 map of Massachusetts and make a comparison with a present-day Google Street View map of Massachusetts.
- https://www.london-walking-tours.co.uk/dickens_christmas.htm
- A London walking tour can zero in on which landmarks are most important on the night flight of Scrooge. Utilize this source to pinpoint important locations on the London map.
- https://blogs.loc.gov/folklife/2019/12/more-about-the-business-of-scrooge-and-marley-an-ethnographic-approach/
- This excellent blog written by Stephen Winick is found on the Library of Congress website and provides insight into many unanswered questions about A Christmas Carol. This blog is part of a series.
- https://www.alleytheatre.org/dickensian-delights-the-historical-context-of-a-christmas-carol/
- The Alley Theatre gives interesting background on Dickens, including information on the story as a play.
- https://dickensmuseum.com/blogs/explore/tagged/meta-theme-christmas
- The Charles Dickens Museum is updated periodically and has artifacts that might not be found elsewhere.