"Down House, the home of Charles Darwin is a fantastic place to visit. The place oozes with history and explains how he came to write one of the most important theories - On the Origin of Species.

The displays are very easy to follow and engaging, containing beautiful and intriguing extracts from his diaries.

Be sure to explore the beautiful grounds and do some light thinking as you walk the famous Sandwalk.

Car parking is limited considering the size of the property, so be prepared to find alternative spaces nearby."

Nicholas Cooper

"This was a really interesting place to visit. The upstairs of Down House focuses on Darwin's work and expeditions. The ground floor of Down House has been carefully recreated and dressed as it would have been when the family lived there. As well as giving a good overview of his career and family life, English Heritage doesn't shy away from the facts that Darwin was born into a life of wealth & privilege and never had to worry about where the funds for his work came from. The surrounding grounds are extensive and mostly comprise meadow and woodland. 1 area was closed (the fungi meadow). Plenty of space for kids to burn off excess energy. There's a large kitchen garden growing heritage varieties, a small floral garden and a hot/greenhouse. There's a café on site serving light snacks and refreshments with veggie options. Loads of seating inside and outside on the patio in good weather. Toilets are modern and everything works. Staff were universally friendly and welcoming. Top tips: Plenty of parking (overflow parking available if necessary). Buy your tickets online up to midnight the day before for a good saving. No saving if tickets booked on the day of your visit. GW 2:1 is accepted and offers tremendous value. Check opening days if visiting outside peak season as it won't be open every day. Picnic area by the tennis court. No photography allowed within any part of the house. Loads of accessibility info on the website. Accessibility dogs only allowed so you'll need to leave Rover at home. A great visit. Well done English Heritage."

Robert Marshall

"Charles Darwin’s home of 40 years, now an English Heritage property with a great exhibition, few lived in rooms, and extensive gardens. Allow at least an hour, plus additional time if wanting to read signs more extensively, go on a longer garden walk, or enjoy the cafe.

We spent about 40-45 minutes upstairs in the five rooms - three exhibition rooms covering his life, expedition in his 20s to the southern hemisphere (HMS Beagle), and learning more about his family life and how he came to write On the Origin of Species. These rooms had nice signage, notebooks and objects from his journeys, a nice wall map of his five-year travel with quotes, and other details from his life. The remaining two rooms were his bedroom and info about the Darwin Family in the former nursery or schoolroom.

Downstairs includes the dining room, billiards room, office, and lounge/seating area. It can be seen quickly, or take a few minutes with the provided audio guide from the front.

Gardens are extensive. My favourite part was the gardening shed, as had a live beehive could look into plus some additional information about the plants. (Don’t worry the beehive is safe- they just used glass rather than wood for the outside of the hive, so you can see the thousands of bees at work. Truly unique!) There are also extensive plants and flowers within the garden - it was bigger than expected, and abuts a longer walk outside the property if interested.

Free parking available, though can be a little tight during busy times.

Shop has a nice selection of items for sale. Used bookstore is upstairs in the house (final room).

Cafe a bit small, but hot drinks, a few pastries, and other cold drinks/snacks available.

Toilets clean and outside near the cafe."

Becky T