Places to go
A few places for you to visit...
Down House
In 1842, Charles Darwin and his family moved to Down House in Downe, Bromley. Here he carried out daily observations and experiments in the grounds and surrounding countryside. During his studies, Darwin realised that evolution by natural selection was key to understanding the living world and it was here, at Down House, that Darwin wrote The Origin Of Species.
The 18th century house remains much as it was when Darwin lived here. The rooms on the ground floor have been furnished to reflect the domestic life of the family, while the study holds his writing desk, chair and other objects connected with his work. The first floor offers an interactive exhibition on his life, research and discoveries.
In the gardens, visitors can see the greenhouses where Darwin studied plant growth and the "thinking path" where he would take his daily constitutional. Go and be inspired… who knows, you might even come away with your own radical theory!
Address: Down House, Downe, Bromley
Natural History Museum
This museum is home to the nation's finest collections of natural history specimens. Its collection now runs to 70 million plants, animals, fungi, bacteria, fossils, rocks and minerals - many of which are displayed through its fascinating exhibitions.
The Natural History Museum is a must for anybody curious about the work of Darwin. In the Darwin Centre, specimens collected by Charles Darwin on his Beagle voyage are among the zoological treasures you can see while on the Darwin Centre Explore Tour.
The Our Place In Evolution gallery is where visitors can meet the ancestors, including Homo erectus and Neanderthals, and shows how humans are related to other apes, living and extinct.
There is also a bust of Charles Darwin at the museum, just to emphasise what a huge impact he has had on natural history.
Address: Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road
Oxford University Museum of Natural History
The Oxford University Museum of Natural History houses the University's scientific collections of zoological, entomological, geological, palaeontological and mineralogical specimens, accumulated in the course of the last three centuries.
While Darwin was studying divinity at Cambridge, he developed an interest in natural history and was accepted as the naturalist on an expedition that was being organised by a group of scientists. This was the voyage of HMS Beagle (1831-1836).
Visitors can see some of Darwin's finds from that voyage, mainly a bewildering array of different crabs and crustaceans, but also a few other invertebrates such as insects, seaspiders, millepedes, spiders, etc.
When Darwin's The Origin Of Species was published in 1859, an important debate on the history of evolution took place at the museum. Thomas Huxley, a supporter of Darwin's theories, and Samuel Wilberforce, Bishop of Oxford, went head to head. The event is often viewed as symbolising the defeat of religious views of creation.
Address: Parks Road
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury, the county town of Shropshire, is the birthplace of Charles Darwin and where visitors can walk the streets that he knew so well as a child.
The people of Shrewsbury are rightly proud of their most famous son, and an annual festival was established in 2003 to celebrate his life, work and continuing influence in the world of science with four weeks of lectures, workshops and arts events.
An annual ceremony takes place at noon each year on his birthday, February 12, at the Bellstone in the courtyard of the Morris Hall. The Bellstone is mentioned in Darwin's autobiography, and this granite boulder was Darwin’s first introduction to the science of geology.
The library used to be Shrewsbury School, which Darwin attended. Outside there is an imposing statue of him which was erected in 1894, even though he was still considered a dangerous atheist at this time.
Darwin was born at The Mount, a house built by his father Robert, a wealthy doctor and
speculator in the Industrial Revolution. It is currently offices, so public access is very limited, but it is hoped that one day the property may be acquired for restoration and conversion into a visitor attraction.
Address: Situated on the border of North Wales and surrounded by Cheshire, Staffordshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire, Shropshire is approximately three hours from London, an hour or so from Manchester and 40 minutes from Birmingham.
