Preparation Room, Down House, Downe, Greater London
Interior view of what was the "Preparation Room" or New Study. Here it is seen converted to school use. After Charles Darwin's death in April 1882 Down House became the summer home for his widow until her death in 1896. The house was then let out as a private residence and in 1907 it was let as a school. The house was first used by the Downe House School for Girls. When this school moved to larger premises in 1922 another school took residency. In 1927 the property was put up for sale and the British Association for the Advancement of Science bought the site as a memorial to Darwin. Down House was opened to the public in June 1929 and in 1952 the property was purchased by the Royal College of Surgeons. In May 1996 Down House was sold to English Heritage, in whose ownership it remains and it has been preserved as a historical house and museum.
