Background Information

A delightful place to visit in itself, Down House is also a site of outstanding international significance. Here the famous scientist Charles Darwin lived with his family for forty years; here he worked on his revolutionary theories; and here he wrote On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection - the book which shook the Victorian world, and has influenced our thinking ever since.

Darwin's work and personality are vividly reflected throughout the house and gardens. The ground floor rooms have been recreated as they appeared when he lived here with his indefatigably supportive wife Emma - a member of the renowned Wedgwood family - and their many children. They include the 'Old Study' where Darwin wrote his books, following a rigid routine despite chronic illness and frequent good-natured interruptions by his children. It still displays his chair, writing desk and many personal items. The family's Drawing Room - with Emma's grand piano - Billiard Room and Dining Room are also on show, likewise mainly furnished with items original to the house. Visitors are guided round Darwin's family rooms by a new hand-held multimedia tour, narrated by Sir David Attenborough. The tour now also includes the extensive gardens - Darwin's 'outdoor laboratory' and the place where he made many of his discoveries.

The video guide includes commentaries by experts, animations, film footage and games for all the family. It is one of many exciting new interpretative developments at The Home of Charles Darwin in 2009, celebrating the 200th anniversary of Darwin's birth in 1809 and the 150th anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of Species in 1859.

Uncovering Origins: New Displays An exciting new exhibition on the house's first floor covers Darwin's life, his scientific work, and the controversy which it provoked. They include many previously unseen objects, with highlights including manuscript pages from the Origin of Species; Darwin's hat, microscope and notebooks; and a copy of Das Kapital inscribed to him by Karl Marx.

Beginning with an introduction to Darwin, his place in Victorian science, and the impact of his theories, the displays continue with his famous five-year voyage aboard the Beagle in 1831-6, including a full-scale recreation of his ship's cabin. The notebooks and journals compiled on this round-the-world voyage have been digitised and annotated, allowing visitors to explore them page by page.

Further displays highlight the Origin of Species, a book which sold out its first edition immediately and gave Darwin wealth, as well as international recognition and notoriety. They also examine how his theories were publicised and defended, principally via letter-writing. Visitors can explore some of his key ideas (including his investigations into the expression of emotions in humans and animals) through hands-on interactives and installations. The Darwin children's schoolroom celebrates family life at Down.

There is also an education room, available for family learning at weekends, and a research room for those interested in delving deeper.

Experiments in the Gardens By no means the stereotypically stern Victorian father, Darwin involved his children in his practical experiments in the extensive grounds of Down House. Visitors too can now follow these via the video guide, beginning with Darwin's 'weed garden' illustrating the struggle for existence in nature.

The sundial amid pretty flowerbeds highlights Emma Darwin's role as a gardener ; an iconic mulberry tree recalls family traditions; and a 'lawn experiment' investigates proliferation of plant species. Further afield are the 'worm stone', which Darwin used to measure undermining by earthworms, and a 'fungi field'.

The nearby hot-house features some of Darwin's most fascinating experiments, involving carnivorous plants, exotic orchids and climbing species. The curiously-shaped tennis court evokes his family and social life, and there is a working beehive in the laboratory. After a tour of the extensive kitchen gardens, visitors finally reach what is for many a place of pilgrimage: the wooded 'Sandwalk', Darwin's famous 'thinking path', which he paced five times a day while working out his theories.

Virtual Access Gain virtual access to Darwin's world with the launch of an exciting new website to coincide with the 2009 celebrations. Features of the website will include interactive digital highlights from one of the rarest Darwin manuscript collections in the world, including his Beagle notebooks and diary, plus a virtual tour of parts of the house and grounds.