We haven't done alot in science lately, so when I discovered that Charles Darwin's house was only 'up the road' from our latest housesitting job, it went straight to the top of must sees.
The top of the family home is set up as a museum and learning centre, tracing Darwins life and discoveries. Its a shame we as a society remembers him as a crusty old man. By all accounts, he was an extremely hospitable, jovial man, who loved a good laugh and ( unusually for Victorian times) was a loving , demonstrative father.
Some of the things I liked to see pointed out was that he was an undistinguished scholar, despite that, his curiosity and love of collecting and classifying things, drove him to go exploring for five years around the world.
He was fascinated by the hummingbird - and has dozens and dozens of them ( stuffed) in glass cases.
I also didn't realise that he kept his book "Origin of the Species" back 20 years before publishing it. He knew it would cause such a stir, that he may be burnt as a witch and heretic. An incredible fact is that the book has never been out of print.. far out.
The garden is neatly kept, but nothing out of the ordinary. The house is understated and comfortable. His rooms were kept as they were when he was alive - and really looks like he has popped out for a moment.
I hope the kids got some valuable information as we explored the hands on activities. There were alot of missing bits of information which were tied up as I wandered around, so I'm glad I took the time to explore and read the displays.
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