Dickens' "Great Expectations" desk to be auctioned

According to the hospital's Web site, it was an appearance by Dickens in 1858 which helped it overcome a funding crisis and expand its bed capacity to 75 from 20.

"We need to raise 50 million pounds every year to help provide world class care to very ill children and their families -- this gift will help us do that," said Charles Denton, executive director at the hospital children's charity.

According to Christie's, Dickens wrote "Great Expectations" and a number of other late novels and short stories at the mahogany writing desk.

The auctioneer quotes the memoirs of Dickens' eldest daughter Mamie Dickens saying that on the evening of June 8, 1870, Dickens wrote letters "and arranged some trifling business matters" in the library where the desk stood.

He went for dinner and collapsed after suffering a stroke, and died the following day aged 58.

(Editing by Ibon Villelabeitia)