The Dell, Grays – built by Alfred Wallace.
This week we commemorate the centenary of Alfred Russel Wallace, who was born in 1823 and died on November 7, 1913. He lived at The Dell, in College Avenue, Grays, from 1872 to 1876.
Wallace is now better known for being an intrepid explorer, brilliant naturalist and remarkable intellectual, and more importantly he co-discovered the process of evolution by natural selection with Charles Darwin.
Today we can discover through his letters to his family, friends and fellow scientists how he shared his love of the natural world and his ideas on how geography influences the distribution of species (visit the Natural History Museum website (www.nhm.ac.uk).
A committed socialist, he backed nationalisation of land and improved working conditions.
Not only did Wallace discover the driving force for evolution, he also founded a new field of biology – the study of the geographical distribution of animals.
In 1872, he moved into The Dell (one of the earliest known concrete houses) in Grays, the first of three houses he designed and built. He lived in Nutwood Cottage, in Godalming, from 1881 to 1889 and finally moved to Old Orchard, in Broadstone, Dorset, where he lived from 1902 until his death in 1913.
A Thurrock Museum heritage plaque is already mounted on the house celebrating the Wallace connection and a group of local historians are seeking partnership and funding to acquire The Dell and to preserve it and interpret the life and works of Wallace.
If you want to find out more about the local campaign, go to wallaceat thedell.org.uk
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