Henry Sharpe's journals are an early-Victorian treasure-trove. This remarkable document is rich with observations about the great political and social concerns of the time, with an extraordinary range of ideas and depth of discussion on literary, artistic and philosophical matters. He reveals detail about historic events not mentioned elsewhere, expanding our knowledge of Hampstead and of wider London history.

Sharpe's great passion was for education. He spent much of his spare time teaching in local schools and setting up Reading Rooms and evening classes for working men. His accounts of the ups and downs of family life and raising children are both touching and amusing, putting Victorian fatherhood into a new light. His trenchant views, especially on political and religious matters, are often startling, contradicting the usual stereotype of the Victorian middle classes.