Dickens' last home may open to public

The last home of Charles Dickens - where he wrote three of his greatest works - could be opened to the public for the first time.

The Victorian author lived at Gad's Hill Place in Higham, Kent, for 15 years until his death in 1870. He wrote A Tale Of Two Cities, Great Expectations and Our Mutual Friend there.

The manor house has been a private school since 1925. But plans have been unveiled to build a new £7 million school and open the house as a museum.

Gad's Hill School head David Craggs said: "The 370 children here are slowly destroying the fabric of the building, not deliberately, but through wear and tear. The sooner we get them into purpose-built accommodation the better."

A planning application has been submitted to Medway council. If it grants permission work could be completed by 2012.

Dickens had admired the house since he first saw it as a child. His father told him that if he worked very hard he "may someday come to live in it". School spokesman Roger Machin said: "You can almost feel his presence as you move from room to room."