A one-woman play about Ellen Ternan’s attempt to reach Charles Dickens beyond the grave will be performed on Saturday 31 October in the room at Gad’s Hill Place where he died, raising money for the Gad’s Hill Trust.
A new one-woman play will have its premiere at Gad’s Hill Place in Higham, Charles Dickens’s former home, on Halloween, performed in the room where the novelist died in 1870.
Spirit, written and performed by actress and playwright Beckis Cooper, will be staged twice on Saturday 31 October 2026. Profits from the performances go to the Gad’s Hill Trust, a registered charity (number 1140957) that supports the house’s heritage.
The play
Spirit follows Ellen “Nelly” Ternan, the young actress whose secret relationship with Dickens has long intrigued literary historians. In the play, a grieving Nelly returns to Gad’s Hill Place determined to contact Dickens beyond the grave, and her attempt brings some of his best-known female characters through her.
The organisers say the production draws on the Victorian fascination with mesmerism, spiritualism and the supernatural.
Beckis Cooper specialises in solo performances inspired by literature and female characters. An Oxford University literature graduate, she trained at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and at Drama Studio. Her work has been performed at Shakespeare’s Birthplace and Chawton House, and her previous shows include Unversed, about Shakespeare’s female characters, and From Chawton, inspired by Jane Austen’s fiction.
Dickens’s Kent home
Dickens had admired Gad’s Hill Place since childhood and bought it in 1857. It was his home until his death in June 1870. The performances take place in the dining room.
Key information
- When: Saturday 31 October 2026. Matinee: doors 1pm, performance 2pm. Evening: doors 6.30pm, performance 7.30pm
- Where: Gad’s Hill Place, Gravesend Road, Higham, ME3 7PA. Parking is at the Gad’s Hill School car park, a few minutes’ walk from the house
- Tickets: £45, including refreshments and a chance to see the ground floor of the house. Booking is through the Gad’s Hill Place special events page. Tickets were still available for both performances on 23 October, and numbers are limited by the size of the room
- Age: suitable for ages 16 and over
- Access: there are steps at the front and rear of the house and to the toilets, and the organisers say there is no wheelchair access to the house
Sources
- Gad’s Hill Place press release, “Dickens’s Ghost to Be ‘Summoned’ in the Room Where He Died – Halloween at Gad’s Hill Place”, 22 October 2026
- Gad’s Hill Place: Special Events – Spirit (accessed 23 October 2026)