Where in Cambridge England Can You Meet Charles Darwin?
1. The Darwin family
2. Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences – Darwin
3. The Wren Library
4. Fitzwilliam Street
5. Cambridge University Press Bookshop
6. Where to stay in Cambridge?
A prominent scientific mind from the University of Cambridge was Charles Darwin. With his remarkable findings within natural history and his theory of natural selection, he has significantly influenced academic Cambridge. Today, an entire Darwin section has been established in the Cambridge Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences, located in one of the streets between some of the most prestigious colleges in England. Here, you can dedicate an afternoon to an outstanding collection of fossils in addition to Darwin’s finds and groundbreaking findings.
Punts in abundance lie in the water beneath Silver Street and in front of the naturalist, geologist and biologist Charles Darwin’s family’s former home in Newnham Grange with the adjacent Old Granary. The Darwin family previously owned the land here. In 1964, Darwin College was founded in the building named after his son, George Darwin, who owned part of the property that the college now occupies. Darwin College was Cambridge University’s first wholly graduate college and the first to have both men and women as students.
The River Cam
Surrounded by impressive willow trees and the tranquil water of the River Cam as a mirror, the old building has a highly scenic location. Two small islands on the Darwin College premises add to the idyllic atmosphere.
Charles Darwin (1809 – 1882) had as a natural scientist a specific interest in the development of species, and he set out on his first sea voyage in 1831, only 22 years old, to study fossilised plants, animals, and rocks around the world. His voyage on H.M.S. Beagle to South America (The Beagle Voyage) and his research studies of the animals and plants provided him with the empirical evidence and foundation of the theory of evolution. In particular, he studied the variations of species at the unique Galapagos Islands. There he made striking observations of the variation of the finches and their adaption to the various islands, as well as of the unique giant tortoises.
Based on this fieldwork, Darwin developed during the years to come a theory of natural selection and evolution over time. His striking findings were published in his book ‘On the Origin of Species’, in 1859, later giving him world fame and recognition.
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A jaw-dropping fossil collection is exhibited in a spectacular Victorian building in Downing Street. The museum, founded by Professor Adam Sedgwick, who was also teaching Darwin, is a real gem! Plentiful specimens of fossils and rocks belonging to the museum are on display in the exhibition hall.
The museum possesses two million fossils, including the Darwin collection, that uniquely take us more than 3 billion years back. Darwin’s records and effects from the Beagle Voyage have their small section, the Beagle Collection, fully justifying the existence of the Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences.
A visit to this museum section is also an introduction to Darwin’s life since it tells the history of his academic career and fascinating sea voyages leading to new theories, however, with an emphasis on his rock finds as a geologist rather than his finds within the theory of evolution. Charles Darwin brought back around 2000 rocks from his journey, now belonging to the museum.
Unarguably, the museum holds a significant treasure of fossils and has outstanding geological and paleontological collections. The fossils and rocks have thoroughly been categorised in each single display case and drawer, meticulously and neatly lined up after species and sizes.
In addition to the Darwin exhibition, the Cambridge museum also holds a considerable and impressive collection of local fossils. One of the draws is the skeleton of a gigantic iguanodon, a significant dinosaur find which contributed essentially to the understanding of dinosaurs during the Victorian era.
The Wren Library at Trinity College is world-famous for its unique collection of first editions of books, and it possesses an impressive number of scientific works by prominent and distinguished Cambridge scholars and distinguished academics who have left their mark on world history. The collection includes the first edition of Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species (1859), sent to Adam Sedgwick, who commented on Darwin’s theories.
22 Fitzwilliam Street was Charles Darwin’s home in Cambridge after returning from the Beagle Voyage. A plaque beside the door states that the famous explorer and researcher lived here from 1836 to 1837. The place is close to the Fitzwilliam Museum, on a side street to Trumpington Street.
On the corner of St Mary’s Street and Trinity Street, right opposite King’s College and close to the lively Market Square, is Cambridge University Press Bookshop, with a wide variety of academic literature. The first floor offers a unique opportunity to go into depth with all science disciplines.
Science has always ranked high in Cambridge, and the books in the bookshop reflect it. Each shelf represents its research field of mathematics, geology, biology etc. All significant scientists are represented here – and in several editions. That is also the case with Charles Darwin, whose ‘On the Origin of Species’ and letters from The Beagle Voyage stand on the bookshelves. Along with other published studies, they are available in various alluring editions.
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