Erasmus Darwin House

About the museum

Erasmus Darwin (1731 to 1802), physician, inventor, poet and grandfather of Charles Darwin, lived and worked in this Grade I listed house next to Lichfield Cathedral Close from 1758. He added the elegant Palladian front and turned the house to face Beacon Street rather than the Close. Elements of the medieval structure that preceded the house can still be seen in the driveway wall and in the cellars. Over the years the building also served as a home for cathedral officials and as a women's shelter.

By 1994 the house was in poor condition. A group of local doctors and cathedral officials formed the Erasmus Darwin Foundation, which was joined by a descendant of Darwin and by the scholar and biographer Desmond King-Hele. With funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund and Europe, a project costing 1.25 million pounds restored the house, and the museum opened to the public on 9 April 1999.

The exhibition rooms were refurbished in 2009, and in 2013 the Inventions Room was redesigned to bring the ideas from Darwin's Commonplace Book to life, including a model of his speaking machine and a flying bird. The museum is run by the independent Foundation as a registered charity, with many volunteers, and also has a library, rooms for hire and an award-winning herb garden.

Highlights

• Home of Erasmus Darwin, physician, inventor and poet
• Inventions Room with a speaking machine and a flying bird
• Darwin's Commonplace Book, on loan from English Heritage
• Herb garden with a National Plant Collection
• Cellar tours behind the scenes

Permanent exhibitions

• The Inventions Room – Brings Darwin's ideas from his Commonplace Book to life, including a version of his speaking machine and a flying bird.
• Darwin's Commonplace Book – A large notebook on loan from English Heritage with Darwin's notes on medical cases, botany and weather and drawings of his inventions; a transcribed copy lies in the Inventions Room.
• The herb garden – A garden with a culinary garden, a medicine chest garden with plants named in Darwin's writings and an apothecary's garden, awarded National Plant Collection status.

Founded

1999

Operated by

Erasmus Darwin Foundation

Admission & discounts

Adult admission is 5 pounds, or 5.50 pounds when paying with Gift Aid, which includes a voluntary 10 percent donation. Tickets are sold at the door, subject to availability. Groups on a tour or talk get 50 percent off museum admission for the house visit afterwards. The herb garden is free.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Step-free access is through the Cathedral Close entrance, via the herb garden at the rear of the house; the steps at the front can be avoided this way. A lift serves all floors, and there are accessible toilets as well as ladies' and gents' toilets. A free welcome leaflet and an introductory video are available.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations
• Stroller-friendly
• Baby changing facilities

Children can follow a free mouse hunt and a herb garden explorer trail and try on Georgian outfits. The exhibition rooms have interactive audio-visual and touchscreen displays, a silhouette machine and a microscope. All floors are reached by lift, there are toilets and nappy-changing facilities on site, and there is space to leave pushchairs. Children up to 11 are admitted free with an adult.

Getting there & parking

The house is on Beacon Street, on the edge of Cathedral Close and a few minutes' walk from the centre of Lichfield. From Beacon Street, go through the green gates to the right of the house. From the Close, take the passage opposite the west end of the cathedral and walk through the herb garden; the entrance is in the garden at the rear.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop
• Wi-Fi

There is no café, but refreshments can be arranged in advance and the house is licensed to sell and serve alcohol. The book shop sells specialist books on Darwin and the Lunar Society, science books for children and gifts. Free Wi-Fi is mentioned for room hire.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events
• Weddings / ceremonies

The Exhibition Room can be hired by the hour from 18 pounds, and the whole house for larger functions. Weddings, civil ceremonies and corporate meetings are offered; the house is licensed for alcohol and fully accessible for wheelchair users.

Plan your visit