CHARLES Dickens and London go together like Jack the Ripper and fog, and indeed there is a sinister aspect to the author's visions of the capital which, perhaps, locate him too much among the ill-lit streets with their sinister characters.

But there was far more to Dickens's sensibilities than Bill Sikes and Fagin, of "Oliver Twist" fame.

And with the Frome Valley Community Players preparing to perform that beloved but London-based classic, "A Christmas Carol" at Ledbury's Market Theatre, on December 10, perhaps it is also timely to note that Dickens was a well-travelled man, and some of his travels brought him to the local area and inspired his writings into the bargain.

A good spot to begin is Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire, which Dickens clearly knew.

The Hop Pole, now the Royal Hop Pole, is mentioned in one of Dicken's earlier successes, The Pickwick Papers.

A plaque on the hotel quotes the famous passage: "At the Hop Pole, Tewkesbury, they stopped to dine, upon which occasion there was more bottled ale, with some more Madeira and some more port besides... and here the case bottle was replenished for the fourth time. Under the influence of these combined stimulants, Mr Pickwick and Mr Ben Allen fell fast asleep for thirty miles, while Bob and Mr Weller sang duets...."

The Pickwick Papers is a vision of a pre-railway England, where travel was by coach and horses through a largely unspoilt rural idyll: a far cry from Victorian London and its gloom.

On a less convivial note, it seems as if two local country houses are in competition as the inspiration for "Bleak House".

The plot of this novel concerns a tortuous wrangle over property and a family will.

A recent article in the Telegraph revealed that Eardisley Park, to the west of Hereford, is one candidate for "Bleak House".

The article stated: "Legend has it that this house inspired Charles Dickens to write Bleak House, not because of the house, but because of the protracted lawsuit over its ownership after the owner died.”

But another possible candidate is Bilbury Court Hotel in the Cotswolds, because of another Victorian squabble over a will.

Dickens was certainly familiar with Herefordshire.

His friend and biographer, John Forster lived at Wilton near Ross, and Dickens visited him.

Forster's old house is now the Castle Lodge Hotel.

Dickens visited Ross in September 1867, when thoughts of an American tour were much on the ailing author's mind.

A more recent, and posthumous link with the local area came in 2009, when the Antiques Trade Gazette reported that the well-known Malvern auctioneer, Philip Serrell, was to auction Dicken's own snuff-box.

In his earlier career, Dickens sometimes wrote under the pen-name of "Boz", and the snuff box was inscribed: "To Charles Dickens Esquire "The Inimitable Boz" with no less admiration for his gentleness and generosity than for the devotion of his brilliant talents to the advancement of literature & the melioration of the condition of the distressed. From his sincerely attached friend & former Tutor W. Giles."

One can only wonder how the snuff box ended up in the local area, and whether there is yet another fascinating story to be told.

Tickets for a Christmas Carol at Ledbury's Market Theatre are available on, 07967 517125.