Robert Chambers spotted at Down House

We spent one day of our family vacation with the kids in Kent at Down House, the former residence of Charles Darwin, now run by English Heritage. Darwin not only wrote On the Origin of Species and his other books here, the gardens and greenhouse were also the site of his laboratory, where he conducted experiments, and collected lots of scientific data. In the museum, there is a panel display on Robert Chambers and his book on evolution, published in 1844, called Vestiges of Natural Creation. The panel explains how Darwin learned from Chambers about publishing in a way that the wider scientific community would accept. Basically, by providing lots and lots of evidence. Like 20 years worth of evidence. And not publishing anonymously.