Down House - Kent

Down House newly painted Outline history of the gardens
Charles Darwin used the 7.2ha estate, including the Great House Meadow and greenhouses, surrounding Down House as an inspiration for his work and a test1 bed for his ideas. Though somewhat run down when acquired by English Heritage, the estate has survived in structure and extent almost unscathed since Darwin's death in 1882. English Heritage completed a five year restoration of the garden in the spring of 2003, which aimed to re-create the appearance and atmosphere of the garden as it was towards the end of Darwin's life.

Down House is Grade II on the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England for their long association with the life and work of Darwin.

 Garden Highlights
While living at Down, Darwin spent a great deal of time in the garden, experimenting and thinking. Over the course of forty years he made many changes and additions including the building of high flint walls, and the planting of many apple trees with the removed earth being used to make banks and mounds around the garden. The ornamental aspect of the garden was for most part typically Victorian with herbaceous borders, rose gardens and flower beds.

• The greenhouses where Darwin studied plant growth, pollination and variation which have now been restored and contain orchids and carnivorous plants - two of Darwin's special interests.
• The flower garden outside the drawing room, restored to its former proportions was used by Darwin's family as an extra room. The sundial has been moved into its original position.
• The lawn, which contains rare grassland fungi, is the principal reason why the garden has been designated a Site of Nature Conservation Interest by the Kent Wildlife Trust.
• Darwin's 'Sand-walk' or 'thinking path'; was created in 1846 when a 0.6ha area of land was fenced off and planted out with native trees and a circular path dressed with sandy gravel around the edge. Darwin would take his daily constitutional and walk a number of times around the sand-walk counting the laps with flints piled at the beginning of the circuit. It was strolling around this path where he did most of his thinking.
• An experimental "wormstone" laid in the lawn by Darwin's son Horace in an experiment to measure soil displacement caused by worms lies under a sweet chestnut tree on the main lawn.
• The trellis on the house has been restored and planted with many creepers such as Ivy (Hedera helix), Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia), Boston Ivy (Parthenocissus tricuspidata) which known to be there during Darwin's life.
• Six of Darwin's experiments are depicted around the garden. The weed garden - used to confirm 'natural selection' prior to publishing 'On the Origin of Species'. The studies of climbing plants, insectivorous plants, self versus cross pollination and pollinating orchids, are shown in the greenhouse, and the discovery of heterostyly in primulas, depicted in the kitchen garden, led to Darwin writing a further five books on these subjects.

Rare and Unusual Plants
In the glasshouse Orchids include the Comet Orchid (Angraecum sesquipedale) for which Darwin predicted the pollinator 40 years before its discovery, based on his theory of evolution through natural selection. Also seen are a variety of Carnivorous plants, pitcher plants, sundew, bladderwort and butterwort including the Venus Fly-trap (Dionaea muscipula) and the parasitic Toothwort (Lathraea squamaria). Trees of interest include the Sweet Chestnut and Mulberry which were mature trees in Darwin's day.

Wildlife
The lawns contain rare grassland fungi, several of which are Red Data Book Species including the waxcap fungi Sp. Hygrocybe. The walls support numerous species of Lichen including one Nationally Scarce Species and part of the site supports slow worms and common lizards.

For more information on endangered wildlife and habitats visit the Environment Agency's Web Page.

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