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18421842–1859 · Downe, London Borough of Bromley

Darwin writes On the Origin of Species

Down House in Kent, the home where Darwin wrote On the Origin of Species
Photo: Michael Garlick. CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Charles Darwin spent forty years at Down House in Kent, experimenting on plants, pigeons and earthworms and walking his Sandwalk path each day to think. Spurred by Alfred Russel Wallace's similar theory, he published On the Origin of Species in 1859, arguing that species evolve by natural selection. The idea transformed biology and challenged religious accounts of creation.

Sites

  1. Site 1: Down HouseDarwin's study, greenhouse and the Sandwalk in the grounds.Map ↗
  2. Site 2: Natural History Museum, LondonDarwin's statue and collections linked to his voyages.Map ↗

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