23rd June 2023 at 2pm: Ide Hill Society Summer Outing to Down House
Theory of evolution by natural selection
For our summer outing this year we are offering our members a trip to Down House, Downe, with a guided tour of the garden. This has been arranged for Friday, 23rd June at 2pm. Down House was built in the early 18th century and was, as you know, the home of Charles Darwin and his wife Emma. They moved to the house in 1842 to accommodate their growing family and Darwin remained there for 40 years until his death in 1882.
It was whilst living there that Darwin developed his theory of evolution by natural selection and wrote his ground breaking work: On the Origins of Species by Means of Natural Selection (1859). During our guided tour of the garden, we will hear about the experiments Darwin conducted to help prove his theories on evolution, including those on plant and insect life which have been recreated in the garden and greenhouse.
We will also learn how the garden has been restored to its original Victoria layout complete with authentic planting. The talk will last 60 minutes. This will allow sufficient time afterwards for participants to explore the garden and/or house at their leisure, and visit the café before the house closes at 5pm. The guided tour is limited to a group of 15 maximum. The cost of the guided tour is £75 (divided between the number in the group). In addition, there is an entry charge: £16.30 (Adult); £14.50 (over 65s)
If we are a group of 11, or more, we will get 15% discount on the cost of entry. As we will be limited to 15 attendees, please let me know if you wish to join me for this visit before May 31st.
In addition, please indicate whether you require an adult or over 65s ticket, as group members cannot pay individually. We will be required to make a single payment.
When I know who is attending, I will send out payment details, in addition to sorting out car-sharing.
Once again, please ensure you contact us before 10th June if you wish to attend at: events@idehillsociety.org.uk
