His parents wanted him to enter the clergy, but Carlyle underwent a crisis of faith while attending the University of Edinburgh and abandoned his plans in favour of being a writer instead. He immersed himself in German literature, and was most interested in German Idealism.

Thomas Carlyle met Jane Welsh in 1821. They were both writers and enjoyed battling wits with one another.

They married in 1826, and by all accounts it was a tempestuous union. Their friend Samuel Butler famously remarked that “It was very good of God to let Carlyle and Mrs. Carlyle marry one another, and so make only two people miserable and not four”.

Carlyle wrote essays on numerous topics, and in 1832 his first major work was published. “Sartor Resartus” (The Tailor Retailored), was semi-autobiographical and philosophical in nature.

With this work, Carlyle criticized the pursuit of material wealth above all else, and emerged as a voice strongly concerned about the social and living conditions of British workers.

In 1834, Carlyle moved to the Chelsea area of London and became an important part of the literary and social life there. He was good friends with John Stuart Mill and Ralph Waldo Emerson.

The house in which he lived in London at 24 Cheyne Row is managed by The National Trust. It is a lovely Queen Anne style Victorian home furnished as it would have been in Carlyle’s day, and it is open 5 days a week for visitors.

After his Jane’s death in 1866, Carlyle retired somewhat from public life; despite their differences and estrangements, Carlyle seemed devastated by the loss of his wife.

Thomas Carlyle died in 1881 at his London home. Although there was some movement to inter his remains at Westminster Abbey (pictured), in the end Carlyle’s wishes were respected and he was buried next to his parents in his childhood home of Ecclefechan in Scotland.

Thomas Carlyle and his works have influenced countless thinkers and writers since their publication.

Carlyle’s House

Address: 24 Cheyne Row, Chelsea, Chelsea, London SW3 5HL

Telephone: 020 7352 7087

Opening Times

March to October: Wednesday to Friday 14:00 - 17:00. March to November: Saturday & Sunday 11:00 - 17:00.

Prices

£4.75 (Adults), £2.40 (Children), £11.90 (Family).

Photo courtesy: mwanasimba

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