Erasmus Darwin House, the Lichfield home of Charles’ grandfather, is starting the New Year with a new idea – Honesty Box Days. On these days, held once a month, the museum will not charge its usual admission but will ask the visitor to give whatever they feel they can afford. Alison Wallis, Curator of Erasmus Darwin House explains ”as a museum we understand that visitors usually expect free entry however for an independent foundation and a charity, like ourselves, it is not always possible to do that. Our Honesty Box Days gives us the chance to welcome visitors and yet still retain some income on which we greatly rely”.
The next admission-free day comes on 29th January and provides a great opportunity to remind yourself of one of Lichfield’s local gems – you may not have even known the museum existed! Or you may have been one of the thousands of people who visited the House way back in 1999 but the New Year is a good time to reacquaint yourself with an important part of Lichfield’s heritage.
Erasmus Darwin House opened in 1999 as a museum dedicated to informing the public about the life and achievements of Charles Darwin’s grandfather, the genius Erasmus Darwin. He was a polymath in every sense of the word; being a founder member of the Lunar Society of Birmingham and getting involved in the many and varied interests of his Lunatick friends. He was way before his time with his thoughts on education for women, the treatment of illness and the theory of evolution. He expressed his views in his books and poetry which led to him being considered one of the greatest literary figures of the 18th century.
As you can see, Erasmus Darwin was a fascinating man and the museum certainly deserves a visit, so take this opportunity on Saturday 29th January and we’re sure you won’t be disappointed! Check out the website for other dates www.erasmusdarwin.org
Erasmus Darwin House
Beacon Street
Lichfield
Staffs
WS13 7AD
T: 01543 306260 E: enquiries@erasmusdarwin.org
