Down House

Down House
Location	Luxted Road, Downe, Orpington, BR6 7JT
Coordinates	51°19′53″N 0°3′12″E / 51.33139°N 0.05333°E / 51.33139; 0.05333
Area	London Borough of Bromley
Owner	English Heritage
Listed Building – Grade I
Official name	Down House
Designated	31 May 1954
Reference no.	1038325
Location of Down House in London Borough of Bromley

Down House is the former home of the English naturalist Charles Darwin and his family. It was in this house and garden that Darwin worked on his theory of evolution by natural selection, which he had conceived in London before moving to Down.

The Grade I listed building stands in Luxted Road, one-quarter mile (400 m) south of Downe, a village 14+1⁄4 miles (23 km) south-east of London's Charing Cross. The village was still known as Down when Darwin moved there in 1842. In his day, Downe was a parish in Kent, but it subsequently came under Bromley Rural District. Since 1965, it has lain within the London Borough of Bromley.

The house, garden and grounds are in the guardianship of English Heritage. They have been restored and are open to the public.