Visiting Down House with Randal Keynes

I have now received two VIP tours of Down House with Randal Keynes (Darwin's great-great-grandson) as tour guide. Randal's mellifluous voice, sharp intellect and wide-ranging knowledge of Darwin's life, science and family make these trips an unforgettable treat!

Last Friday I visited with three eminent American speakers at the Great Read at Birmingham initiative: Ken Miller, John Hawks and Captain Ben Kirkup. John Hawks has already blogged on the experience here: http://johnhawks.net/weblog/hawks/travel/down-house-visit-2011.html

Last February, I visited with Eugenie Scott from the NCSE.

Below are links to YouTube videos of both trips. Watch them and fall under Randal's spell as he guides us through Darwin's home and gardens, his life and family.

Tour of Down House with Randal Keynes for Great Read at Birmingham speakers

http://youtu.be/YPg5OanvSl4

Tour of Down House with Randal Keynes and Eugenie Scott

http://youtu.be/1EsAttZon0A

Relevant links

• http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/welcome/grab.aspx
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugenie_Scott
• http://ncse.com/
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenneth_R._Miller
• http://johnhawks.net/
• http://pathogenomics.bham.ac.uk/staff/mpallen.html
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randal_Keynes
• http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/index.aspx
• http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/home-of-charles-darwin-down-house/