Down House is a Grade I listed building in the Bromley local planning authority area, England. First listed on 31 May 1954. A Centre: early C19; North-West wing: mid-late C19 House. 5 related planning applications.
Down House
- WRENN ID
- haunted-gateway-storm
- Grade
- I
- Local Planning Authority
- Bromley
- Constituency
- Orpington MP: Gareth Bacon (Con)
- Country
- England
- Date first listed
- 31 May 1954
- Type
- House
- Period
- Centre: early C19; North-West wing: mid-late C19
- Address
- Down House, Luxted Road, Downe
- OS grid reference
- TQ 431 611
- Coordinates
- 51.33143, 0.05347
- Source
- Historic England listing
Description
Down House is a house of early 19th-century origin, with later additions, and is designated Grade I for its historical associations; it would otherwise be Grade II on architectural grounds. The house was occupied by Charles Darwin from 1842 to 1882, and “The Origin of the Species” was written there. Darwin died in the house on 19 April 1882. It is now a museum, with Darwin’s study preserved as much as possible in its original condition.
The building comprises a central block and two wings. The central block dates from the early 19th century and is three storeys high with five windows. It is stuccoed and has a wide eaves cornice and a hipped slate roof. The windows have segmental heads and are missing their original glazing bars. The South-East wing is gabled and is likely older than the main block, featuring two storeys with two windows, a round-headed window, and an attic window in the gable. This wing is also stuccoed. The North-West wing is a mid-to-late 19th-century addition made by Darwin to provide a new study. It is two storeys high with three windows and has a cemented front. Attached to this wing is an early-19th-century block and a verandah. A tablet is set into the front garden wall facing the road, commemorating: "Here Darwin thought and worked for forty years and died 1882."
Local climate
Down House receives an average of 750 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 70% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 71% of listed buildings.
It experiences an average of 37 freeze-thaw cycles a year, more than 67% of listed buildings. Of these, 18 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.
Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.
More on this building
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- Full EPC report — heating system, energy costs, size, glazing, construction etc.
- Sale history — 4 transactions since 2002
- Related listed building consents — 5 applications
- Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
- Flood risk assessment
- Radon risk assessment
- Weather exposure and heating demand — rain and frost month by month and year by year, wind direction, solar and humidity
Matched applications, energy data and sale records are assembled automatically and may contain errors. Flag incorrect data.
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