English Heritage recently announced that a new permanent exhibition on the life and works of Charles Darwin will open at his former home and laboratory, Down House, located near Orpington in Kent, by next Easter.

The new exhibition will start the dual celebrations that will take place at the property in 2009, which is both the bicentenary of Darwin’s birth and the 150th anniversary of the publication of his work ‘On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection’, in which he set down his theories concerning evolution.

The new exhibition will allow groups to learn more about the life of Darwin, including the journeys he undertook to the south Atlantic which inspired his later works. Original manuscripts and artefacts will be on display, as well as a recreation of his cabin on the HMS Beagle, where he lived and worked on a five year voyage across the globe. The exhibition will also look at his wife Emma’s involvement in his scientific work.

Group discounts are available at the property.

For further information telephone 01689 859119