Birmingham Town Hall to receive blue plaque commemorating Charles Dickens’ first public reading of A Christmas Carol
/ News 26 Nov 2025News Story
Birmingham Town Hall will be awarded a blue plaque by Birmingham Civic Society to mark a remarkable moment in literary history: the first ever public reading of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens himself, which took place at the venue in December 1853. The plaque will be unveiled on Monday 15 December by acclaimed Birmingham actor Anton Lesser, known for Wolf Hall, Endeavour, and Game of Thrones.
The unveiling coincides with a very special evening at Town Hall: A Christmas Carol with Anton Lesser & Orchestra of the Swan. Lesser, who has read all of Dickens’ works for Audible, will bring the story to life in the very space where Dickens performed it for the first time. Accompanied by the Orchestra of the Swan, the performance combines iconic words and music, capturing the suspense and emotion of Dickens’ timeless tale.
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. The Heritage Committee were intrigued to hear this story and strongly felt that it was a significant event in Birmingham’s past that should be commemorated and celebrated.Nicola Gauld, Co-Chair of the Birmingham Civic Society Heritage Committee
The plaque is part of the wider Amplify Town Hall project, an ambitious refurbishment and archive initiative led by B:Music over recent months with support of £123,651 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. The project aims to capture and celebrate the extraordinary history of Birmingham’s oldest events venue.
Through the project, B:Music and Birmingham Music Archive, with the help of passionate volunteers, have compiled a new archive of over 1,500 items of memorabilia spanning Town Hall’s 191-year history. Highlights include:
- Concert programmes and tickets from landmark performances, including Black Sabbath’s debut at Town Hall (April 1970) and The Beatles’ first performance in 1963.
- Historical posters, including one showing Dickens performing and stage-managing a play two years before A Christmas Carol.
- Photographs of notable performances in the 1970s by Kraftwerk, Earth, Wind & Fire, and John Martyn.
Birmingham Town Hall is more than a building- it is part of the legacy that helped secure the freedoms women enjoy today and it has been the stage for voices that have changed history. I am proud to support Amplify Town Hall and urge everyone who values heritage, music, and social change to donate to the preservation of the building, reminding us of its past and amplifying its future.Helen Pankhurst CBE, great-granddaughter of Emmeline Pankhurst
The project has actively involved the community, recruiting 29 volunteers who have been trained in archive techniques such as oral history capture and digitisation, and hosting five archive drop-in events. The new permanent archive installation throughout the lower floor and backstage of the venue, which will be unveiled alongside the plaque, includes a timeline documenting nearly two centuries of Town Hall history. A brand-new digital archive, designed in collaboration with Birmingham Open Media, is planned for launch at the end of the year, making Town Hall’s heritage accessible worldwide for the first time.
I’m thrilled that Birmingham Music Archive has supported this truly incredible project. We’re passionate about celebrating Town Hall’s wonderful heritage and protecting its future. By compiling a comprehensive archive from public and private collections, we’ve ensured these stories and memories are preserved for generations to come.Jez Collins, Founder and Director of Birmingham Music Archive
Find out more about theAmplify Town Hallproject and join B:Music in uncovering the hidden stories of Town Hall, celebrating its rich legacy, and supporting vital upgrades to secure the future of this iconic venue.
