Ramsbottom Grant Arms Hotel in Market Place was the home of William and Daniel Grant, 19th century industrialists closely associated with the rise of the town and reputed to be the inspiration for the Cheeryble brothers in "Nicholas Nickleby" by Charles Dickens. The Grants' employees were paid in tokens that had to be redeemed at a public house owned by the company. The landlord converted the tokens into cash, but only after deducting threepence per person, which had to be spent on beer, a variation on the truck system. A network of roads and railways routed through Ramsbottom allowed for a
Dickens in America Miriam takes over the wheel. Miriam talks about the adulation that Dickens faced, but which he did not write about in "American Notes". We learn that Dickens and his wife were serenaded by students from Yale. And Miriam is too. Miriam tells us that Dickens was given an accordion on the trip and thereafter spent much time playing “Home Sweet Home.” We see Miriam playing an accordion. New Haven is also known as the City of Elms. Dickens calls Hillhouse Avenue the most beautiful street in America and we see some beautiful modern shots of the street. A replica of