Photo in header: Charles Darwin by Julia Margaret Cameron albumen print, 1868-1869 NPG P8 © National Portrait Gallery, London
12 Feb 1809 – 19 Apr 1882
Hesketh Crescent
Charles Robert Darwin was a naturalist and biologist known for his theory of evolution, the process of natural selection, and as the author of ‘On the Origin of Species’. He lived at No. 2 Meadfoot House in Hesketh Crescent.
This elegant Grade II Regency crescent was built in 1846. The Crescent is now made up of The Osborne Club, furnished holiday apartments and The Osborne Hotel.
Darwin, whose epic work shook Victorian orthodox society to its roots, arrived in the resort in July 1861. A sufferer of nervous ailments, he also chose the town for health reasons. He stayed with his family for eight weeks at Hesketh Crescent, but he stayed away from the resort’s rock pools. He spent his time revising his great book and preparing a paper on the fertilisation of orchids for a scientific journal. The Osborne Hotel has a restaurant, bar and terrace with great views and a leisure club (it’s best to make a reservation).
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