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Charles Darwin at Down House: A History and Visitor’s Guide

ByMagdalena Marsden

Down House, located in Luxted Road, Downe, Orpington, is a Grade I listed building and the former home of the renowned English naturalist Charles Darwin and his family. It was in this house and garden that Darwin developed his theory of evolution by natural selection, which he had initially conceived in London before moving to Down.

The village of Downe, where Down House stands, was known as Down during Darwin’s time and was a parish in Kent. It is now a part of the London Borough of Bromley. The house, garden and grounds are now under the guardianship of English Heritage and have been restored and are open to the public.

Darwin lived at Down House for most of his married life until his death in 1882. He even extended the living quarters to provide for more comfortable accommodation for his servants. The devotion was mutual and they were looked upon as a part of his extended family.

Today, Down House uses a mixture of educational devices to demonstrate evolution to all ages while retaining its domestic period charm as a family house. It’s as if Darwin has just popped out for one of his many thought provoking journeys along the Sand-walk and will be back any minute to finish off his studies.

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Charles Darwin’s Sandwalk

If the house itself was where Darwin conducted his many experiments and observations, then it was his celebrated five times daily perambulation along the Sand-walk (actually a partly shaded path at the end of his kitchen garden stretching along to neighbouring fields) where he mulled over his ideas about natural selection that were to shock the world. A man of fixed habits, but ground breaking vision, he used to complete the walk with a little loop at the end.

To keep track of time, he was in the habit of kicking away a single pebble from a big pile at the start of the loop every time he passed by. When the pile was empty he knew it was time to return to the house and further experiments. Unbeknown to him, as a practical joke, his children, playing nearby, used to replace the pebbles. So deep in thought was Darwin that he wouldn’t notice his walks were often extended!

There was a major BBC film recently, starring Paul Bettany as Darwin. However, only part of the film to actually feature Down House, were the scenes along the iconic the Sand-walk also fearing Benedict Cumberbach.

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The Beagle Voyage Exhibition

The house has a fascinating exhibition given over to Darwin’s five year voyage as a young man on the Beagle to South America which was the fulcrum for his later discoveries. It re-creates his original cabin and records entries from his many diaries, notebooks and sketches.

Originally destined to be first a doctor and then a vicar, Darwin not so much changed course as jumped ship, persuading a rich relative to pay for his berth. Indeed it was the only major overseas expedition that he was to make.

So while his theory of evolution quickly travelled round the world, due to its author’s reluctance to travel, it was the world that suddenly came to Down, in the form of a constant stream of letters, packages and often uninvited guests. The original collection box is in the hallway.

Darwin’s study is highly evocative complete with insects on display in glass jars and a range of period microscopes and dissecting devices and tool cases. Along side the many papers and minutely observed drawings, is a tray which he had fixed to his favourite armchair for the closer inspection of all manner of barnacles and earthworms.

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The Origins Book & Evolution Theory

It was a book which provoked bitter worldwide controversy when it was first published in 1859 after a near 20 year gestation period. It radically changed the way successive generations viewed the world.

Even today its ideas still create lively debate. Its author was a reclusive middle aged botanist of private means and it was written in a modest Victorian country house in Kent. The book was On the Origins of Species; its author was Charles Darwin and it was written at Down House.

So what about the 20 year evolution of the book? Darwin only published Origins, initially as a joint paper to the Royal Linnaean Society, at the urging of friends, when Alfred Wallace, a fellow scientist, sent him his similar evolutionary thoughts. But there were other more personal factors at play which led to the long delay.

Darwin’s wife, was deeply religious, but it was the death of his beloved young daughter and helper Annie, one of ten children, that appears to have played a part in his loss of faith in the natural order – as it was then conceived. With so many children playing around the house, it’s a wonder Darwin got any work done at all.

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The Down House Tour & what you can see inside

Apparently, the Nursery was the last place to look for the children being described as a ‘place of quiet’ with great old mulberry tree growing right up against the windows. So close, in fact that the children remembered hearing the noise when the ripe berries fell to the ground. Darwin seems to have mixed devotion with duty and was active in the life of the village while eschewing visits to London.

Also on display is a quaint and rather touching letter that Darwin wrote setting out the pros and cons of marriage. In the end his union with his cousin Emma lasted until his death and survived the controversy – although she did fervently worry that her husband’s views would not sit well with the Almighty creator of heaven and earth in the thereafter.

The tea room now sells Mrs Darwin’s cake – a type of lovely and filling scotch cake made from her own original recipe book. Of course, it’s the natural selection!

There are also portraits of several of the leading protagonists of the day, including a noted Bishop who memorably asked Darwin if he was descended from apes on his mother or his father’s side.

Several of the drawings and caricatures have a decidedly a simian like quality as satirists aped the Victorian public’s craving for knowledge. Excerpts of debates at Oxford University reveal distinctly unscientific language on both sides of the argument.

Newly open is also the bedroom upstairs.

The Down House History

1651–1842: Early History

The Down House property was sold to John Know in 1651 by Thomas Manning for £345, which included most of the land. It is uncertain whether the price included a house, but it is believed that Know built the first farmhouse on the property, with some flint walls dating back to this period.

In 1653, Know gave the house to his son Roger, and in 1743, the property was passed to the Bartholomew family. Leonard Bartholomew sold the uninhabited house to Charles Hayes of Hatton Garden in 1751.

The property was then acquired by George Butler in 1778, who was a businessman and landowner. It is believed that he rebuilt and enlarged the house, as he paid the highest window tax in the village in 1781. After Butler’s death in 1783, the property changed hands several times before being passed to the Rev. James Drummond in 1819.

The house was re-roofed and brought into good order under the supervision of Edward Cresy, an architect who lived nearby. Drummond left the property vacant in 1840 and put it up for auction, but it remained unsold and empty for two years.

1842–1906: Darwin Occupancy

In 1842, Charles Darwin and his wife Emma were seeking a new residence outside of London. They found Down House, which was about 20 miles from London and had railway access. On Friday 22 July 1842, they visited the property and stayed at a local inn.

The small quiet village was away from main roads, and the house was situated on high table-land. The price was approximately £2,200, and Darwin was able to lease it for one year to try it out. Emma preferred a more expensive house in Surrey, but they decided on Down House due to its cheap price and proximity to London.

Darwin made extensive alterations to the house and grounds. He built an angled bay at the west elevation of the house, which extended the drawing room and rooms over it, giving improved views and lighting. He also lowered the lane by as much as 2 feet and built new flint boundary walls, which made the east garden more private.

A strip of the field was made into a kitchen garden, including the experimental plot of ground, and later the greenhouses. Darwin altered the service wing to the south of the main block between 1845 and 1846, rebuilding the kitchen area with the addition of a butler’s pantry, a schoolroom, and bedrooms above the kitchen.

1907–1922: Downe School for Girls

In 1907, Down House was leased to the headmistress of Downe School for Girls, who used it as a boarding house. The school was founded by the sisters Millicent and Etheldreda Fawcett, who were suffragists and activists for women’s rights. The school was known for its progressive education, and many of its students went on to become prominent figures in the arts and sciences.

1927–1996: Darwin Museum

After the school closed in 1922, the house was purchased by the British Association for the Advancement of Science to be used as a museum dedicated to Charles Darwin.

The museum opened in 1929, and many of Darwin’s personal possessions and scientific instruments were on display. The museum also included a garden that was designed to reflect Darwin’s scientific interests. The museum remained open until 1996 when it was closed due to financial difficulties.

1996 to Present: Restored House and Garden

After the museum closed, the property was purchased by English Heritage and underwent extensive restoration. The house and gardens were restored to their appearance during Darwin’s occupancy, and the property was opened to the public as a museum and educational centre.

Visitors can explore the house and gardens and learn about Darwin’s life and scientific discoveries. The property continues to be a popular destination for visitors interested in science and history.

The Downe Village

Close by, the village of Downe (with the ‘e’) has largely retained its rural feel and several of the family are buried in St Mary’s church. There were also plans for Darwin himself to be buried there but in the end Westminster Abbey claimed him. A local pub by the green serves good food with a link to the naval circumnavigator and sailor Robin Knox-Johnston. The village can also be visited via a hopper bus from Bromley town centre.

Visiting Down House – Opening Times, Tickets, Facilities & How to get there

Down House, including its garden and grounds, is accessible to the public Wednesday – Sunday from April to October (daily during summer), and on weekends from November through to March. During its closed periods, routine conservation work is carried out on the house and garden.

The ticket prices are £16 (with donation) for adult ticket and there are concessions for children. English Heritage Members have free entry.

There is plenty of parking spaces if you are arriving by car.

Visitors can reach the house by public transport from central London, as it is situated within Transport for London travel Zone 6. The 146 bus service from Bromley North railway station (daily) terminates nearby at Downe Village, while the R8 bus from Orpington railway station (excluding Sundays) stops on request outside Down House. The nearest Tramlink station is New Addington.

This blog post was originally published on 11 January 2015 and last updated on 17 January 2024

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