Coketown

Coketown is the city where Bounderby’s factories are built. It is described as dark, dirty streets of identical red brick buildings. The uniformity and pollution make it impossible to differentiate between the hospital and the laundress. Perhaps what is most striking about Coketown is the black smoke (often described as “serpentine”) that billows from the factory smokestacks.

Stone Lodge

Stone Lodge is the home where Louisa and Tom Gradgrind grew up. It is where Louisa returns after her emotional breakdown.

The Bank

The Bank is where Bounderby, Tom, and Bitzer work. When Tom runs into some gambling debts, he robs the bank of £150, which he tries to blame on Stephen Blackpool.

Old Hell Shaft

Old Hell Shaft is the old mining shaft that Stephen Blackpool falls into on his way back to Coketown to clear his name in the bank robbery scandal. As a result of...