Hooker and Darwin: Science and Friendship

Professor Lawrence Goldman is a distinguished English historian, expert on the history of science in the Victorian period and former editor of the Dictionary of National Biography.

This lecture explores the significance of the friendship between Charles Darwin and former director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Joseph Hooker. For 15 years, Hooker was one of only two people to whom Darwin vouchsafed the theory of natural selection. Hooker – who was initially unconvinced by ‘evolution’ – kept Darwin’s secret while gently encouraging him to publish. This lecture is about some big themes, but at its heart is a study of friendship and its role in science and intellectual life. Hooker is buried in the graveyard of St Anne’s Kew.

Following the lecture, Richard Deverell, Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, and Canon Dr Giles Fraser, broadcaster and Vicar of St Anne’s Kew, will discuss together some of the themes explored by Professor Goldman.

Please enter via the Jodrell Gate in Kew Road. There is no access to this event via the normal public entrances to Kew Gardens. To book tickets for this fascinating talk, please book your ticket via the Eventbrite website www.eventbrite.co.uk (Event name is Hooker & Darwin: Science and Fellowship). Tickets cost £5 each.