This is a round up of places to visit in London where you can celebrate London's Darwin connections.
Charles Darwin Biography
Source: Wikimedia Commons
Natural History Museum - Darwin Big Idea Exhibition
© Natural History Museum London
This is the biggest ever exhibition about Charles Darwin. Discover the man and the revolutionary theory that changed our understanding of the world and our place within it. It's a celebration of Charles Darwin's ideas and their impact, giving new insight into the achievements of this brilliant observer of nature. Highlights include the live green iguanas and horned frogs from South America, along with fossil specimens collected by Darwin. The exhibition also features a beautiful reconstruction of Darwin's study at Down House.
National Portrait Gallery - Charles Darwin and the Origin of Species
© Laura Porter
This small display celebrates Darwin's life and work though the medium of photography, itself a rapidly changing produce of nineteenth-century science. Alongside portraits of Darwin at various stages of his life, the display includes images of those who were instrumental in the publication of his controversial theory.
British Library - Darwin and the Story of Evolution Exhibition
Darwin and the Story of Evolution10 December 2008 - 22 March 2009
Folio Society Gallery, British Library, London
This exhibition charts the evolution of Darwin's theories of evolution, from his own ideas and his contemporaries to twentieth century theories.
Grant Museum of Zoology
This is London at its best: quirky, eccentric, a bit spooky, but a lot of fun.
UCL Library - Charles Darwin of Gower Street
Charles Darwin of Gower StreetSeptember 2008 - April 2009
UCL Library, London
UCL (University College London) last held an exhibition about Charles Darwin 26 years ago to mark the centenary of his death. As Darwin lived in a house on the site of UCL between 1839 and 1842 UCL Library Services Special Collections is offering a fresh opportunity to showcase material including the personal libraries and papers of Sir Francis Galton and Karl Pearson.
The items selected for this exhibition reflect Darwin's life, work and the influence of theories of inheritance and evolution on his contemporaries and successors, including eminent UCL people.
London Zoo
© Laura Porter
You can try the Darwin Family Trail around the Zoo exploring Darwin's ideas, plus walks 'with Darwin' from 14 to 22 February 2009.
Kew Gardens
© Laura Porter
Kew is celebration its 250th anniversary in 2009.
Horniman Museum
© Horniman Museum
Saturday 7 February - Saturday 7 June 2009
Gallery Square, Horniman Museum
An exhibition of photographs of Darwin and his family.
Westminster Abbey
© Laura Porter
12 May, 2009, 6.30pm
A high profile debate chaired by the BBC's John Humphrys and sponsored by Theos and the Faraday Institute for Science and Religion. This will explore the compatibility of belief in God and Darwinian evolution. The panellists will include Lord Robert Winston, Professor Steve Jones, Dr Denis Alexander, and Professor Nancy Rothwell.
More Places I'm Sure Darwin Would Have Enjoyed...
- London Aquarium
The London Aquarium is one of Europe's largest displays of global aquatic life. 750,000 visitors a year see over 500 species on display.
- Wellcome Collection
Wellcome Collection is a modern museum and gallery bringing together science and art. Sir Henry Wellcome enthusiastically collected over a million medical objects and Wellcome Collection displays as many as possible to help visitors discover more about the development of medicine through the ages and across cultures.
- Jeremy Bentham Auto-Icon
Jeremy Bentham asked for his body to be put on display in a wooden cabinet after his death - and that's what happened. Find out where to see this bizarre London sight for free.
