Charles Darwin Trust

25/08/2026

📅 3 September, 7pm BST | 2pm EDT | 11am PDT

Join Charles Darwin Trust Trustee James T. Costa and George Beccaloni for a free New Scientist online event exploring Darwin, Wallace and the discovery of natural selection.

Find out more and register:

In this free 1-hour webinar, Dr James Costa and George Beccaloni dig into the parallel journeys that led Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace to the theory of natural selection independently - from Darwin's voyage on the Beagle to Wallace's expeditions through the Amazon and the Malay Archipelag...

17/08/2026

🔬 Microscopy Weekend at Down House

This weekend, 22–23 August, Down House is hosting a special Microscopy Weekend, exploring the important role microscopy played in Charles Darwin’s research.

Visitors can discover more about Darwin’s work with microscopes, see microscopy in action and have a go themselves, with activities organised in collaboration with the Quekett Microscopical Club

Don't miss this fantastic event!
https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/whats-on/down-house-microscopy-weekend-sat-22-to-sun-23-aug/

19/05/2026

🌿 Today the trustees of the Charles Darwin Trust met in person at Down House for one of our regular trustee meetings.

While we usually meet online, it was a real pleasure to spend time together at such a special place, enjoy the beautiful gardens 🌱 and meet some of the wonderful staff and volunteers who help care for and share Darwin’s home and legacy every day.

A lovely day of conversations, ideas, and time together in a truly inspiring setting 😊

05/05/2026

Book you place for this talk next week in Cambridge [Wednesday 13 May, 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM] https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/book-launch-of-annotated-edition-of-the-descent-of-man-tickets-1985662082742?aff=oddtdtcreator

James Costa and Elizabeth Yale will be giving a talk about their new book: Annotated Edition of The Descent of Man.

13 May at 5.30-6.30pm. Department of Zoology.

BOOK NOW: https://www.cambridgephilosophicalsociety.org/events/event/book-launch-of-annotated-edition-of-the-descent-of-man

17/04/2026

🌿 A Conversation in Padua: Exploring Darwin’s Garden
We are pleased to share that this May, The Charles Darwin Trust will be part of an international collaboration at the historic Orto botanico di Padova in Italy. 🇮🇹

Our Trustee, Chiara Ceci and Down House Head Gardener, Antony O’Rourke, will join author Claire Masset for a talk titled "A Voice from the Garden: Darwin and Other Stories." 🌸📖

The group will explore how the "living laboratory" of Down House fueled Charles Darwin’s experiments, while also looking at the broader history of gardens—from the work of William Morris to the landscapes of Claude Monet. It’s a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the "power of place" and the enduring legacy of Darwin’s work. 🧪🌿

Find more information about this event and how to book here:
👉

SATURDAY, 2 MAY – 10 AM Scientific popularisation meeting With Chiara Ceci, Claire Masset, Antony O’Rourke. Moderator: Elena Canadelli Free | Subject to booking What stories can a historic garden tell us—such as the one at Down House, near London, once owned by the Darwin family? In the mid-19...

17/04/2026

🌱 Darwin’s Garden on Gardeners’ World!
Check out this lovely interview with Antony O’Rourke, Head Gardener at Down House on the Gardeners’ World podcast! 🎧

Antony truly brings Darwin’s garden to life, exploring his famous experiments and the incredible "power of place" that fueled his work 🌸🔬

Listen here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6mcEWdOfbeIb3qN7SYBc5P?si=dcae5d879ec1457e

BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Podcast · Episode

25/03/2026

We are happy to share with you our new website!

Explore our Darwin-Inspired resources, dive into our latest educational research, and discover new ways to investigate the natural world.

Making the ordinary extraordinaryInspiring curiosity through Darwin-Inspired learning and pioneering science research. FIND OUT MORE Making the ordinary extraordinaryInspiring curiosity through Darwin-Inspired learning and pioneering science research. FIND OUT MORE Making the ordinary extraordinaryI...

29/03/2020

Michael Gove has admitted the coronavirus lockdown is likely to last longer than three weeks, saying: “I wish I could predict when this will end.” Amid suggestions tha...

02/11/2018

Message from a student...
Hello! I'm a student attending a Chicago public high school and I came across this page. At the moment, I have been selected to go study at the University of Oxford in England for a one week seminar as a school trip. During this seminar we will be discussing Charles Darwin/darwinism and how his book Origin of Species has influenced Victorian literature. Many of the students, myself included, are from low-income families, but we are trying to fundraise as much money as possible. If you could share this link on your page, that would be amazing. Any amount of money is appreciated! And if people believe they can't donate, no problem! They can share it to people they think could donate or would be interested in donating. Thank you! https://www.donorschoose.org/project/whats-darwin-got-to-do-with-it/3636070/?utm_source=dc&utm_medium=directlink&utm_campaign=teacherhub&utm_term=teacher_1539352&rf=directlink-dc-2018-09-teacherhub-teacher_1539352&challengeid=250441
What’s Darwin Got to Do with It? | DonorsChoose.org project by Mr. Chau
Help me give my students an experience of a lifetime at Oxford University. Your generous donation will help them pay for an all-inclusive academic program at Oxford University. My students attend a...
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03/09/2015

Documents dating back to the 16th Century provide a unique insight into one of Darwin’s landmark studies – according to new research from the University of East Anglia.