Down House
Down House is a former home of the English naturalist Charles Darwin and his family. Head 300 m south of Bromley to reach it. It holds the status of a Tentative World Heritage Site.
Historic house near Bromley
One of the best-known places to visit in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
#339 of the 8,556 museums, castles, gardens and other attractions we list, by how widely it is covered (14 Wikipedias). About ↓
Just outside Bromley
Down House is 300 m south of Bromley. Towns near it ↓
Cared for by English Heritage
One of the places English Heritage looks after; members usually get in free. About ↓
Tentative World Heritage Site
On the official list of protected heritage; Bromley has 339 listed buildings in all, on its History page. About ↓
Written from OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, the ONS built-up areas and Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Seasons in Bromley
In Bromley the warm season is May to September, with highs of 18–23°C.
Down House
Upkeep is seen to by English Heritage. Readers can find it on Wikipedia in 14 languages. Our list has 57 more places within 15 km; first among them is Crystal Palace High Level Station Entry, at 14 km.
- Type
- Historic house
- Run by
- English Heritage
- Listed
- Tentative World Heritage Site
- Wikipedias
- Covered in 14 languages
- Town
- 300 m south of Bromley
Where Down House is
The map centres on Down House, in orange, with nearby places numbered.
© OpenStreetMap contributors · ONS built-up area 2022
Towns around Down House, by distance
Largest of the 8 is Croydon, home to 389,242. Each of these towns lists it on its own page of things to do.
Bromley
Tatsfield
Croydon
Knockholt Pound
Compare the 8 towns
| Town | Where Down House is | People | Places to visit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bromley | 300 m north of it | 325,469 | 66 |
| Tatsfield | 3 km southwest of it | 1,379 | 8 |
| Croydon | 3.5 km northwest of it | 389,242 | 49 |
| Knockholt Pound | 4.3 km east of it | 771 | 5 |
| Ashurst Wood | 24 km south of it | 1,508 | 6 |
| Crawley Down | 25 km south of it | 5,775 | 9 |
| Hartfield | 26 km south of it | 697 | 4 |
| Forest Row | 26 km south of it | 3,881 | 8 |
While you are near Down House
Also close at hand are 4 historic houses, 3 museums and a castle, among 57 within 15 km.
MuseumCrystal Palace High Level Station Entry14 km away2
Historic house · National TrustChartwell9.9 km away3
Historic house · English HeritageEltham Palace13 km away4
Historic house · National TrustKnole House13 km away5
MuseumHorniman Museum15 km away6
Museum · National TrustRed House15 km away7
Historic houseAddington Palace7.2 km away8
Castle · English HeritageEynsford Castle12 km awayWithin 15 km, close and well known first. Numbers match the map.
Down House in questions
Where is Down House?
Down House is 300 m south of Bromley, London.
What is Down House?
Former home of the English naturalist Charles Darwin and his family.
Who runs Down House?
English Heritage, so members usually get in free; check opening times before you go.
When is the best time to visit Down House?
May to September are the warmest months in Bromley, with afternoon highs of 18–23°C (Met Office 1991–2020 averages).
Is Down House a listed building?
Yes: Tentative World Heritage Site.
What else is there to see near Down House?
Within 15 km: Crystal Palace High Level Station Entry (14 km), Chartwell (9.9 km), Eltham Palace (13 km) and Knole House (13 km).
Places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database Licence) and Wikidata (CC0), placed in the ONS 2022 built-up area (Open Government Licence v3.0). Visitor counts are the latest Wikidata gives, with their year.
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (9)
- Down House: Anthonyeatworld at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Crystal Palace High Level Station Entry: Dickinson Brothers, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Chartwell: Tilman2007, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Eltham Palace: Tilman2007, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Knole House: Diliff, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Horniman Museum: No Swan So Fine, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Red House: Velela, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Addington Palace: Dieter Simon at English Wikipedia (Original text: Dieter Simon Dieter Simon), Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Eynsford Castle: Richard Nevell from London, United Kingdom, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.