Charles Dickens and social criticism. On the other hand, Oscar Wilde, Henry James, and Virginia Woolf complained of a lack of psychological depth, loose writing, and a vein of saccharine sentimentalism. The term "Dickensian" is used to describe something that is reminiscent of Dickens and his writings, such as poor social conditions or comically repulsive characters. Charles John Huffam Dickens was born on 7 February 1812, at 1 Mile End Terrace (now 393 Commercial Road), Landport in Portsea Island (Portsmouth), the second of eight children of Elizabeth Dickens (née Barrow; 1789–1863) and John Dickens (1785–1851). His father was a clerk in the
Landport Drapery Bazaar returned as part of the Portsmouth rebuilding programme, with a new store within the re-constructed Town centre during the 1950s. But in 1965 the store was purchased by the United Drapery Stores and subsequently in 1982 the store was converted to an Allders. The Allders store was sold in 2005 to Debenhams. Landport Drapery Bazaar Landport Drapery Bazaar was a department store located on Commercial Road, Portsmouth. In 1870 Robert E Davies, the three time Mayor of Portsmouth opened a department store on what is now called Commercial Road (previously Union Road and Landport Road). He called his new enterprise