Down at Down House

According to my (many) English Heritage emails, Down House and garden is one of the best of their sites to visit in the autumn. We went expecting a show of bright autumn colours but I have to say we were rather disappointed.

However, there were compensations. There were autumn colours aplenty on the drive down with the low autumn sun sparkling through the yellow trees.

The house itself is very interesting. The staff were friendly and welcoming and keen to impart their knowledge of Charles Darwin and to ensure that we were enjoying our visit. The original kitchen with its flag-stoned floor is a good place to start with coffee and cakes.

Charles Darwin lived in the house for 40 years with his wife, Emma Wedgewood (also his first cousin). They had ten children, seven of whom survived beyond the age of eleven. Darwin was an unconventional Victorian father, allowing the children into his study and providing them with the means to play noisily in the house, building a wooden slide that fitted on one of the staircases.

Upstairs there are exhibitions about his childhood and wider family, the voyage of the Beagle and his theory of evolution. There was nothing in his schooling that particularly held his interest and consequently he was a poor scholar. His subsequent observations, experiments and writings about the natural world are testament to his dedication and capabilities once his interest was sparked.  

On the ground floor, Darwin’s study is crammed full of dusty bottles, phials, bones, magnifying equipment, handwritten notes, shelves of scholarly books – and a dog basket.

As I have said, the garden was somewhat disappointing as it was not as full of autumn colour as we had imagined. But it was interesting, nevertheless, as this is where Darwin walked, observed and grew plants for his experiments. The vegetable garden continues to grow well and the large greenhouse contains several specimens of carnivorous plants. We particularly liked the outdoor conservatory that is an inviting place to sit and relax even on an autumn day.

Finally, a visit to the gift shop where some early Christmas (!) purchases were made.

Carolyn & Jean