London is so steeped in history, it’s hard to go anywhere without running into it. Today I was walking through the London drizzle to an appointment at University College London and passed the Darwin Building. Really. How many universities have a biology building named after Charles Darwin? Wow. Although Darwin apparently never had any connection to UC London, he briefly lived in a home previously located at this site… so there is a historic marker on this building, and his bust is displayed prominently in the entrance.
There’s a lot more detail in this blog post. As it turns out, the history of this marker is not straightforward, nor is the evolution of society’s interpretation of Darwin and his theories. TL;DR: the name of the building, and the placement of this marker, say as much about the desires and historical context of those who advocated for it as it does about the history of Darwin himself.
Honestly, it was far more interesting to visit his long-time home outside London, which I happened across back in the fall.
David Kotz 