Follow the brown signs

The home of Charles Darwin, scientific genius and radical changer of people’s beliefs about human beings and the natural world. Darwin wrote the Origin of Species at Down House and the audio tour around the house and garden (narrated by David Attenborough and Andrew Marr respectively) gives the visitor a fantastic insight into his world and how he lived. A non-typical Victorian father Darwin revelled in his children, his garden and generally pootled happily around Down House writing ground breaking scientific theories that would change the world forever and playing billiards. Geeks like me could spend a whole day here, with breaks for lunch and afternoon tea in the old butler’s quarters of a tea room. If you weren’t interested in Darwin’s theories before then your will leave pleasantly surprised, if you were interested before you’ll leave shivering with enthusiasm (and with at least 8 books from the gift shop).

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