Did that newsagent just wink at me? Maybe it’s the ghost of Charlie Chaplin, still keeping an eye on his old flat here at Charlie Chaplin house. You might know him as the Little Tramp, but right here, at this very spot, he was just Charlie, an aspiring comedian sharing a top-floor flat with his brother Sydney. Between 1908 and 1910, this unassuming building was their cherished haven, a place to hang their hats and dream big dreams. Can’t you just picture them, crammed into their flat, spending a small fortune on furniture? A couch, two armchairs, a Moorish screen lit by a yellow bulb, and even a tasteful nude portrait – Chaplin jokingly called their decor a mix between a “Moorish cigarette shop and a French whore-house”. It might not have been Buckingham Palace, but for Charlie, it was a palace of possibilities. He later fondly recalled these days, even mentioning this building, Glenshaw Mansions, by name in his novella “Footlights”. He may have found fame and fortune in America, but his heart, his humor, was rooted in the music halls and vaudeville stages of this very city. So next time you see a newsagent, take a moment to remember the young Charlie Chaplin, dreaming big dreams right here at Charlie Chaplin house. You never know, his mischievous spirit might just wink back at you.
Центральный дом работников искусств
Step through the grand wooden doors of the Central House of the Workers of Art, and you’ll be transported to