Darwin Walk

Shrewsbury Darwin Walk

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Darwin Walk

The Shrewsbury Darwin Walk

An ideal introduction to an historic town

The Dingle in the Quarry Park, Shrewsbury

Welcome to Shrewsbury, the birthplace of Charles Darwin.

Here is an opportunity to ‘walk’ the streets that Darwin knew so well as a child. This virtual tour will take you past a number of sites associated with the Darwin family. It will also introduce you to some of the hidden architectural treasures of this fine medieval town. You will walk through charming, narrow streets and passages or ‘shuts’ as they are known locally. You will see houses that date back as far as the 15^th Century and beautiful churches.

If you do get the opportunity to visit us ‘for real’ you can take time to browse around the many fine specialist shops or pause for refreshment at one of our coffee houses or eateries.

Darwin the walker ~ During his time at Down House in Kent, Darwin would often work intensely for a period of some hours before taking a break for fresh air and to gather his thoughts as he strolled along the sand walk behind his house. It was a key aspect of the intellectual process that led to his important theories. But the Sand Walk was in turn inspired by a similar walkway behind his family home here in Shrewsbury and another at Maer Hall, Staffordshire; the family seat of the Wedgwood family who played such an important part in Darwin’s story.

All truly great thoughts are conceived by walking.- Friedrich Nietzsche

Darwin Walk now available.
Start walk >> View Town Centre map

Grateful thanks to Shrewsbury Museums Service for permission to use images from their collection and for support with the content and to Jo Barnes from the Borough Conservation Department.