This winter, The Sherborne invites visitors into a uniquely magical experience: an intimate, candlelit display of Sir Quentin Blake’s original illustrations for Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol—exhibited on the site where Dickens himself delivered a celebrated public reading of the story in 1854.

A Candlelit Experience

In a nod to Victorian tradition—and to enhance the magic of Blake’s work—the exhibition can only be viewed by candlelight. Visitors will receive battery-powered candles to explore the darkened galleries, allowing shadows, light and colour to dance across the pages.

This gentle glow creates an immersive atmosphere that deepens the narrative: part theatre, part time travel, part festive enchantment. It is a way of experiencing A Christmas Carol unlike any other.

Historic Echoes: Dickens in Sherborne

The Sherborne holds a remarkable connection to the story. On 21 December 1854, Charles Dickens (1812–1870) visited Sherborne to give an eagerly anticipated reading of A Christmas Carol at the Sherborne Literary and Scientific Institution.

The event was described as “crowded to excess,” with eager listeners pressed into the room for what was only the second public reading Dickens ever gave from the novella. His performance, lasting nearly three hours, was known for its dramatic flair, vivid characterisation and emotional force.

To experience Blake’s illustrations here, 170 years later, is to feel those echoes: story, artistry and place all layered together.

Quentin Blake and the Art of Christmas Storytelling

Sir Quentin Blake, one of Britain’s most beloved artists, created these works in 1995 for a special edition of A Christmas Carol. Reviewers celebrated the artists’ “boundless imaginative energy,” noting Blake’s gift for letting characters leap and dance from the page.

Blake’s interpretation is both respectful of Dickens and full of his signature charm—bringing humour, humanity and a sense of movement to a narrative defined by transformation and hope.

This display offers a rare opportunity to see these original drawings up close.

The exhibition opens at our Christmas Lights Switch On on 28 November at 6pm.

Alongside: Our Friends in the Country

Running concurrently is Quentin Blake: Our Friends in the Country, a joyful collection of recent works celebrating rural life. Created in two phases from 2023 to 2025 with watercolour washes and ink lines, these twelve pieces capture animals, people and unlikely companions in the countryside with warmth, wit and tenderness.

Together, the two exhibitions mark the opening chapters of a major year-long celebration of Blake’s work at The Sherborne, to be followed by Airborne Over Sherborne and 100 Portraits later in the year.