12 Aug Charles Darwin

Charles Darwin wrote numerous books based on his travels and studies, but he is surely best remembered for The Voyage of the Beagle (1839) and On the Origin of Species (1859). Darwin was born in the lovely town of Shrewsbury in 1809 and lived there until he was 27 years old. He’s commemorated there with the Darwin Town Trail and an imposing life-size bronze statue. A similar statue – this one in marble – greets the visitor to London’s Natural History Museum.

A literary tour of England should include Down House in the village of Downe, 12 miles south of central London, the Darwin family home from 1842. It was here that Darwin worked on his theory of evolution by natural selection: On the Origin of Species was written in the study. The house and garden are in the care of English Heritage and are open to visitors. Darwin died at Down House in 1882 at the age of 73. He’s buried in Westminster Abbey, close to Isaac Newton.