Organisations across Westminster having been joining forces in the past year to celebrate Charles Darwin’s association with the city, reports Sarah Day.
Geoscientist 20.03 March 2010
‘Charles Darwin: a Genius in the Heart of London’ celebrates the 200th anniversary of the scientist’s birth, and brings together the Linnean Society of London, Westminster Archives, Westminster Abbey, the Royal Society, the Geological Society of London, the Zoological Society of London and The Royal Geographical Society.
The partners have been working together to coordinate a variety of activities, designed to enable people of all ages to find out more about Darwin’s life and work. Participants have been taking part in drama workshops, debates, performances and creative projects since May 2009, culminating in a month of activities in November, the month On the Origin of Species was published in 1859.
Over the summer, students from Soho Parish Primary School took part in animation workshops, whilst children from Kent and Action for Children took a trip to Down house where Darwin lived for over 40 years, to put together further animated scenes from Darwin’s life. At the other end of the age spectrum, Senior Citizens from the Westminster Community Reminiscence and Archive Group put together a needlework collage depicting the voyage of the Beagle, working with Year 4 pupils from St. Matthew’s Primary School.
A highlight of the project was an evening of performance at the Royal Society, featuring a screening of the animations and a performance of ‘Darwin the Opera’ by Year 5 pupils from St Vincent de Paul Primary School. The latter was complete with such songs as ‘I think’ (derived from Darwin’s famous doodle) and ‘I’m ten steps away from an ape’ – a bit like Ten Green Bottles, but based on evolutionary theory rather than the traditional gravitationally inspired storyline.
The Geological Society’s main contribution has been a series of workshops, delivered to primary school groups at the Westminster Archives and at Burlington House, giving children the opportunity to handle and classify rocks and fossils. As well as tying in with the Key Stage 2 Rocks and Soils Unit, the workshops were an opportunity for pupils to experience geology in a hands-on environment. Many pupils left full of enthusiasm about the possibility of becoming a scientist themselves one day.
The Society also contributed to a series of panels, each provided by a partner organisation, to form a display highlighting the various facets of Darwin’s career, from ‘Darwin the Geologist’ to ‘Darwin and Evolution’. The display has already been showcased in Westminster Cathedral, Westminster Archives, the Royal Society and the Linnean Society, and will be available to view at the Geological Society throughout March.
- Find out more about the Charles Darwin: A Genius in the Heart of Westminster project by visiting the website, www.darwininlondon.co.uk , where you can also view the animation project. The display will be available to view in the Geological Society’s Lower Library throughout March. Members of the public can view the exhibition on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons from 1400, by calling in advance ( 020 7434 9944). Fellows and Friends of the Society may visit at any time during normal opening hours, subject to availability.