Hello You 37: In Darwin's Dining Room

Hello You with Jim Hawkins

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Hello You 37: In Darwin's Dining Room

'Horticulture was the rock'n'roll of the time'

Jim Hawkins

May 13, 2024

Transcript

It’s always exciting to be allowed into somewhere well-known, but that comparatively few people have visited.

So I was thrilled - and a little surprised - to find myself in the dining room of Darwin House, formerly known as the Mount House, which is the birthplace of Charles Darwin.

But it was also a family home, under the gaze of materfamilias Susannah Darwin.

How much do you know about Susannah Darwin? She was a remarkable woman in her own right … and like so many other remarkable women through history, is nothing like as well known as she deserves to be.

Shropshire artist Katy Alston (pictured above with John Hughes, Darwin House Museum project manager) has been studying Susannah, whilst mapping her life onto the landscape around her home. Find out more in this episode of Hello You, and by following the links below.

Also mentioned or covered in this episode (links ahoy!):

my dad
artist and illustrator Katy Alston
Dr Jude Piesse, author of ‘The Ghost in the Garden: The Search for Darwin’s Lost Garden’
Darwin Birthplace Trust
Age UK Shropshire Telford & Wrekin
Bob Newhart
Ken Nordine, and his albums including …
‘Sounds In Space’, and …
‘Word Jazz’ (you have to listen to this!)
‘Surrender To The Rhythm: The London Pub Rock Scene of the Seventies’
‘Heroes and Villains: The Sound of Los Angeles 1965-1968’
stereo demonstration records (apparently some younger people don’t even understand what stereo is [kicks bin])
1950s very-stereo lounge records like this (now you know why I always record in stereo when I possibly can!)
lambs
socks
feel-good television
‘Happy You’
where should I record a soundscape next?
dates, times and locations for the next two Benches
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I hope you enjoy this episode of Hello You. Your comments and suggestions are always very welcome.

Discussion about this podcast

Hello You with Jim Hawkins

I’m trying to give you something a little different. Hello You is about stuff, and things. People, and stories. Shrewsbury, and Shropshire. Mental health and well-being. History and heritage. Arts, culture and music. Faith, belief and the complexities of life.

I’m a good listener. It’s what I do. And for Hello You, I’m listening to (and talking with) fascinating people, mostly but not always from Shropshire, so that you can hear what they have to say.

It's public-service local journalism that cares about people. Audio that brings you the voices of people you might not hear from otherwise. Interviews conducted with compassion and empathy. Thoughtful, positive, good-humoured conversations, informed local storytelling, and commentary that’s not afraid to get righteously angry on occasion.

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