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A glimpse of Charles Darwin s paradise
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Charles Darwin, one of the most influential figures in human history, has been studied and written about numerous times over the years - but it’s his relationship with his childhood garden in Shropshire which is the subject of a new book being published this week.
Unlike Down House in Kent, The Mount has been largely left out of the popular narrative of Darwin s life, despite it being his childhood home and likely inspiration for his love of nature.
The Ghost in the Garden uncovers how it was here, under the tutelage of his green-fingered mother and sisters, that he first examined the reproductive life of flowers, collected birds’ eggs and began the experiments that would lead to his theory of evolution.