Down House, Downe, London Borough of Bromley: Report on Geophysical Surveys, April 2018
Author(s): Neil Linford, Paul Linford, Andy Payne
Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), earth resistance surveys and magnetic surveys were conducted at Down House, Downe, London Borough of Bromley, following a request from the English Heritage Trust who manage the site. Down House was the former home of Charles Darwin and the house and gardens now serve as a museum celebrating his life, work and family. The aim of the geophysical survey was to help locate a number of possible short-lived structures known to have been constructed in the garden, including a pigeon house and outdoor douche both recorded in Darwin’s correspondence. The GPR survey (0.3ha) covered the majority of the open lawn areas, including the paddock to the south of the gardens, and revealed possible wall type anomalies and service runs. Earth resistance survey (0.2ha) complemented the GPR coverage over the lawn and also provided additional coverage in areas of more dense vegetation which was impossible to access with other techniques. Finally, a magnetic survey (0.2ha) provided useful confirmation of ferrous services identified with the other two techniques. Interpretation of the data is complicated in part by the keyhole nature of the coverage, although some possibly significant structural or garden feature remains have been suggested from the results.
- Report Number:
- 51/2018
- Series:
- Research Report
- Pages:
- 11
- Keywords:
- Earth Resistance Geophysical Survey Ground Penetrating Radar Magnetometer Post Medieval
