| Summary : Down House gardens and grounds were part of the 7.2 hectare estate owned by Charles Darwin at Down House. Created during the mid-late 19th century, Darwin used his gardens and grounds as an "outdoor laboratory" to inspire his work and as a test bed for his ideas. The gardens and grounds have survived almost intact since Darwin's death in 1882 and have been recently restored to re-create the appearance and atmosphere of the period at the end of Darwin's life. Features include a square lawn framed by trees, pleasure grounds, a flower garden laid out around a sundial, an orchard, shrubbery and a series of late 19th century walled gardens (including the kitchen garden). These grounds and the surrounding countryside are where Darwin spent much of his time and where a number of his experiments took place in which he developed his theories. These include the experimental "wormstone" and the weed garden which he used to confirm 'natural selection' prior to publishing 'On the Origin of Species'. Another important feature of the gardens is Darwin's 'Sand-walk' or 'thinking path' which he created in 1846. This circular path through a newly created area of native trees is where Darwin took his daily constitutional walk, during which he did most of his thinking. The gardens and many of the outbuildings have been restored and contain a number of the species present there at the time of Darwin. Some of his experiments have also been recreated. The grounds and gardens are all part of the Down House estate which is open to the public. |
More information : A mid 19th century garden which surrounds Down House, the home of Charles Darwin from 1842 to 1882. Darwin used the garden at Down as a living and working laboratory. Down House and 7 hectares of land were purchased for Charles Darwin by his father in 1842. Little is known of the property before this time except that the Rev James Drummond lived there in 1840. Drummond owned 6.5ha of land and the contemporary Tithe map shows a large field, Home Meadow, to the south and west of the House, a small area of pleasure ground near to the House, and a long narrow enclosure named as 'garden' to the south-west. Between 1843 and 1846 substantial work was carried out on the House and gardens and at the same time Darwin purchased land to the north, the North Orchard, and to the south-west, Sandwalk Wood. The estate was further enlarged in 1881 when land to the west of the North Orchard was purchased.
The main pleasure grounds lie to the south-west of the House and comprise of an ornamented lawn, rectangular and circular cut beds and on the western edge of the lawn is a worm stone, an experiment by Darwin's son to measure the soil-moving activity of earthworms.
The North Orchard, to the north of the pleasure grounds, was extended when land to the west was purchased in 1845 and 1881. It is bounded to the north and west by a flint and brick wall and is divided from the kitchen garden by a brick wall faced on the orchard side with flints.
The kitchen garden is a long narrow strip of ground to the south-west of the pleasure grounds. It is walled to the north and east, hedged on the south, and fenced on the west. It is still cultivated in parts. Darwin used the area not only as a productive kitchen garden but also as the location for many of his experiments with plants.
Darwin's greenhouse complex is set against the north side of the brick wall which divides the kitchen garden from the North Orchard. Against the north side of this kitchen garden wall is Darwin's brick-built laboratory which connected with the greenhouse.
The Long Walk, which is open to Home Meadow to the east, leads to Sandwalk Wood. Darwin regularly walked along the path and it was popular with the children who named the west side, with its views across the falling land to Snotsdale Wood and Biggin Hill, 'the light side'. The east side of the Sand Walk, which was screened from the adjacent meadow by trees and hollies, was known as 'the dark side'.
At the southern end of the Sand Walk the Darwins had a summerhouse, since demolished. (1)
Please refer to this source for further information. (2)
Charles Darwin used the 7.2 hectare estate, including the Great House Meadow and greenhouses, which surround Down House as his "outdoor laboratory" - an inspiration for his work and a test bed for his ideas. The estate has survived almost intact since Darwin's death in 1882. A five year restoration of the garden was completed by English Heritage 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. The greenhouses where Darwin studied plant growth, pollination and variation have been restored and contain orchids and carnivorous plants - two of Darwin's special interests. The flower garden outside the drawing room has been restored to its former proportions and 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 covered with sandy gravel around the edge. Darwin would take his daily constitutional walk along 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 species known to have been there at the time of Darwin.
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. (3)
National Grid Reference TQ4313661122 (centroid of the object) identified by digital ordnance survey mapping. (4)
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