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Down House Microscopy Weekend

Saturday 22nd and Sunday 23rd August 2026

NOT FINISHED

This was our third visit to Down House in Kent, where Charles Darwin lived for 40 years. Quekett member Tim Fullick is one of the volunteers at Down House, and in the Discovery Suite he set up the highlight of the weekend, a display of brass microscopes similar to the ones that Darwin used.

Down House

As in 2025, we had additional displays in the garden laboratory that is attached to the greenhouse and was built for Darwin. With more space (and with no fragile antiques), these extra displays were designed to be hands-on for families.

Discovery Suite

Upstairs in Down House, we had displays of antique microscopes, carnivorous plants, rocks, wings and feathers.

Tim Fullick showed five antique brass microscopes, similar to the ones that Darwin used at various points in his career.

Tim Fullick

Tim had carefully set up the microscopes so that they were focused properly, and visitors were only allowed to look, not touch.

The Carl Zeiss Jena IVa was set up to view a slide of the body wall of an earthworm, showing circular and longitudinal muscle layers.

Carl Zeiss Jena IVa

The Smith & Beck Large Achromatic Compound Microscope was set up to view barnacle cirrus.

Smith & Beck Large Achromatic Compound

Barnacles

The Hartnack Nouveau Petit Modèle was set up to view the head of a Drosera tentacle.

Hartnack Nouveau Petit Modèle

Insectivorous plants

The Cary-Gould Box-Mounted Microscope was set up to view zooids of Flustra.

Cary-Gould Box-Mounted Microscope

The Bancks Simple Microscope was set up view waterfleas (Daphnia).

Bancks Simple Microscope

Lisa Ashby

Lisa Ashby’s display

Butterfly wings and feathers

Joan Bingley

Joan Bingley (right)

Joan Bingley’s display

Pam Hamer

Pam Hamer’s display

Martin Parnham

Martin Parnham [by Jacky McPherson]

Nigel Williams

Nigel Williams’ display

Klaus Kemp arrangement of butterfly scales

Visitors

At times, visitors were asked to queue outside the room to see our exhibits. To keep them entertained, we used a slide show of photomicrographs taken by Quekett members:

Slide show