A brief trip to the London Borough of Bromley for two of its attractions.
Chislehurst Caves
22 miles of darkness, the caves have been used historically by Druids, Saxons, Romans and more recently as an ammuniton depot in WWI, shelter for the civilian population during World War II and as a stage for the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin. There is a haunted pool, a Druid altar, etc. The tour is lamp-lit and lasts 45 minutes. Well worth the £5.
Before we entered the caves, we noticed a couple of very bizarre characters with robes and fake glowing eyes. We later found out that these weren't actors employed to scare us during the tour, but members of the Labyrinthe Club, which uses a separate part of the caves for live role playing games. They must be pretty atmospheric.
Downe Village
That's the lovely village in Bromley, where Down House is. I didn't find out why, but it was packed with parked cars everywhere.
Down House
That's Darwin's house, where he spent the last 40 years of his life. We saw the study where he wrote 'On the Origin of Species' and walked a bit around the gardens, where he conducted a number of his experiments. The house is maintained superbly and offers a good inside view of his life and way of thinking. There is also a replica of the cramped cabin, which he shared with two others during his HMS Beagle voyage.
