"Downe and Darwin." Downe by planxty

Downe Travel Guide: 6 reviews and 13 photos

Downe House, Downe, Kent, England. - Downe

A surprising first.

Quite early on in my VT "career" I found myself in the position of being the first member to write a page on Evropos which didn't surprise me unduly as it is a fairly out of the way place in Northern Greece. I was rather more surprised, however, after a recent trip to Downe to discover that no-one has yet constructed a page on it either. I say I'm surprised as Downe is the site of the home of Charles Darwin the famous scientist, who lived in nearby Downe House for about 40 years (see tip).

Although it is extremely close to London (it's only about three miles away from Orpington) it is a pretty, quiet, rural Kentish village, and well worth a visit.

Pros and Cons

Pros:Pleasant little village with an important historic site.
Cons:Dodgy bus connection.
In a nutshell:Get down to Downe!

Last visit to Downe: Dec 2005
Intro Updated Mar 3, 2006
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Reviews (4)

George and Dragon pub, Downe, Kent, England. - Downe

Another good pub. Things to Do (4)

Of the two pubs in Downe, this is the older (16th century, I believe) althought the trappings inside are more up to date... more travel advice

Queens Head, Downe, Kent, England. - Downe

A lovely pub. Things to Do (4)

Downe is blessed with two very pleasant pubs, and this is one of them, the Queens Head. Friendly staff and locals and a... more travel advice

St. Mary's church, Downe, Kent, England. - Downe

Visit the church. Things to Do (4)

The dominant feature in Downe, as in so many English villages, is the Church, in this case St. Mary the Virgin. Probably... more travel advice

Down House, Downe, Kent, England. - Downe

Origin of the origin of species. Things to Do (4)

I suppose the main reason for people to visit Downe is to see Down House, which lies slightly outside the village. This... more travel advice

Comments (1)

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Mariajoy Dec 30, 2005 at 11:27 PM

Hi Fergy, I'm ashamed to say it, but I'd never even heard of Downe!! I shall put it on my list of places to visit this summer! Good start here btw. :)