Darwin's house and other stuff

We finally got our act together and visited Down house in Kent which is where Charles Darwin worked, wrote and lived with his family. It is quite a nice house in a lovely village. Many of the boundary walls in the area are composed of flint rocks with brick on the edges and corners which looks quite nice. The roads are just like the ones you see on the tv, narrow and lined with hedges.
The house itself is quite large which is to be expected I suppose when you consider the size of the family, and the grounds are equally large containing a greenhouse, ornamental gardens, experimental gardens, mushroom field and a huge vegetable garden.
The heritage people have tried to keep the house in as original condition as it would have been when Darwin lived there including reconstructing the gardens from old family photos. They have also put in many displays, some interactive, in the house to give you an idea of his life in the house as well as on board the Beagle. They have reproduced in one of the rooms a mock up of what his cabin would have been like onboard.

The memorial sun dial at the local church

Flint wall.

The greenhouse

The village of Downe

The previous day had been to the Camden markets and the Camden lock and were lucky enough to see a boat using the lock to go down river.
The main marketplace is in the old stables and is full of horse statues. At full capacity it held around 200 working horses.

The lock in action.

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