August’s outing was to Down House, the home of Charles Darwin.

Thankfully, it was a cooler day for our visit.

The audio guides were very informative, Sir David Attenborough for the house and Andrew Marr in the garden.

There is so much to observe, and many thoughts come into one’s mind in the quiet of Darwin’s study. 

Upstairs in the museum, there is much information about his family and struggles to come to terms with the enormous message his experiments and observations gave to the world.

Outside, the test bed areas were just as brown as the rest of the country is at the moment, lacking rain. However, the 250-year-old mulberry tree was surviving in spite of its hollow trunk being filled with concrete to keep it upright when a huge branch dropped off in Darwin’s time.

We ended our day enjoying all that Polhill Nursery and Garden Centre had to offer which was a great deal, including a welcome refreshing snack and drink.

D Bezant

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VISITS
All visits start at the Red Lion Car park, East Bergholt.

• Proposed Garden Visits 2026
• Norwich Palace
• Blickling & Highway GC