THE GLADES SHOPPING CENTRE
DOWN HOUSE
An ideal place to take on the January sales is The Glades Shopping Centre ( www . theglades . co . uk ). Boasting a total of 135 stores trading from a combined floorspace of 464,000 sqft , this shoppers ’ haven is the perfect place for some retail therapy . Whether it ' s fashion , food or gifts you ’ re searching for , The Glades is sure to provide it . From a variety of highcalibre fashion favourites such as Hobbs , The White Company , Oliver Bonas and Kurt Geiger , to a range of cosmetic go-tos such as Jo Malone , L ' Occitane , Mac and Molton Brown , The Glades is a supreme shopping experience , certain to leave you feeling satisfied . After a morning spent at The Glades working up your appetite , venture back into town and lunch at family-run Italian favourite Studio Gusto ( www . studiogusto . uk ) who offer fantastic set lunch menus including plenty of Italian classics such as calamari fritti , linguine puttanesca and creamy gelato for dessert . Another Mediterranean Bromley gem comes in the form of Turkish restaurant Dedem (@ dedemrestaurant ), masters of grilled dishes full of flavour and spice . Set in a bright and spacious venue , this fantastically styled menu is bang on trend , complete with a huge skylight draped in leafy botanicals and a glittering generously stocked bar perfect for sipping a cocktail at .
For those craving a more cultural trip and thirsting for some history , a collection of enthralling heritage locations surround Bromley to quench your thirst for knowledge . One of Kent ’ s most celebrated residents was of course British naturalist Charles Darwin , whose family home , Down House , is just a stone ’ s throw away from Bromley . As well as the house now owned by English Heritage , visitors to the village of Downe can admire traditional Kentish flint cottages against the backdrop of the open uplands of the downs themselves , as well as views of the more wooded areas of Kent such as the Weald which lies further south . In Victorian times , it was at Down House that Charles Darwin lived for 40 years until his death in 1882 . The house is reflective of both Darwin ’ s character and its unique place in the history of science and evolution , and is now a site of outstanding international significance . Visitors can step into the very rooms where Charles Darwin worked and lived , including the study in which he wrote On the Origin of the Species , and discover a fascinating exhibition about his work . Follow in the great scientist ’ s footsteps as you explore the awardwinning gardens where he spent many hours making observations and conducting experiments that helped develop his groundbreaking theories .
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