County of Kent, U.K. | Eccentric Homes
Charles Darwin (naturalist) left a formidable legacy for scientists, as well as for unsuspecting clergy.
From 1842 til his death in 1882, Darwin and his cherished family live in Downe, England, fifteen miles or so south of London in Down House. The house and surrounding land was the family home, where the curious man observed the natural wildlife, built himself a heated greenhouse, and wrote On the Origin of Species.
Following the deaths of Darwin and his wife, Emma, the house was rented until 1907 when it was converted into a girls’ boarding school. But, luckily for the curious amateur naturalist in us all, the house was converted into a museum by English Heritage and the Natural History Museum. The home has been restored to Darwin’s day, down to the angled mirror Charles kept in his study, to keep an eye on whomever was coming up the driveway.
The greenhouse features the types of orchids and carnivorous plants that Darwin examined – though he is best known for his work in the Galapagos Islands during the Beagle voyage, the bulk of his observations were on plants in his own greenhouse!
On the Down House grounds, visitors can stroll the Sandwalk through the woods where Darwin thought about his experiments and their results. Many of his manuscripts are also digitally on display.
(An under-reported fact: Darwin proved that seeds did move across continents before transatlantic voyages, via the guano of migrating birds.)
