Construction begins on 'Dickens World'

A theme park based on the works of Charles Dickens is set to open.

The £62 million entertainment complex will feature rides based on his novels and a reproduction of Victorian London street scenes.

Backers hope the attraction in the Thames Gateway will introduce a new generation to Dickens and his characters.

The theme park will take centre stage in the regeneration of the former naval dockyards in Chatham that employed his father and inspired many of his books.

Construction of the Dickens World entertainment complex will begin shortly and it is expected to attract up to 300,000 visitors a year when it opens in 2007.

Its backers hope it will introduce characters such as Mr Micawber, Fagin, Magwitch and Uriah Heep to a generation that has grown up knowing little of his classic Victorian texts.

Kevin Christie, who is masterminding the project, said: "For a man who wrote 15 books and 23 short stories, you would be hard pressed to find anybody under 30 who can name five of them."

The Dickens World project will sit alongside an Odeon multiplex cinema, restaurants, shops, two university campuses and 2,000 new homes on the 340-acre Chatham Maritime development site, formerly home to the naval docks.

The docks closed in 1984, throwing around 7,000 people out of work and devastating the Medway area. Dickens lived in Chatham as a child between 1816 and 1821, and its landscapes and characters appeared in books such as A Tale Of Two Cities, Dombey And Son, David Copperfield and The Pickwick Papers.

Mr Christie said the project would be billed as a "family attraction" with theme park-style rides mixed with references to the Dickens novels. He admitted it was more likely to appeal to those with a passing interest in the author's work than to literary scholars, but denied it would "trivialise" his legacy. "What we are creating is a true sense of Victorian landscapes using his books and novels for storylines," Mr Christie said.

Thelma Grove, joint honorary general secretary of the International Dickens Fellowship, said she had been impressed with the project's desire to bring Dickens's characters to life.

She said: "Anything that can introduce aspects of his work to a modern audience is going to be good. I would hope it would encourage people to look at the books."

Jonathan Sadler, project director for the landowner, the South East England Development Agency, said the venture would help regenerate neighbouring towns such as Rochester and Strood that were also well-known to Dickens, bringing ?700million of investment.

He said: "We look forward to Dickens World becoming one of Medway's leading visitor attractions. This will complement the rest of Chatham Maritime and create a vibrant attraction at this flagship site in the heart of the Thames Gateway."