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Woolsthorpe Manor

Visit on the afternoon of 17th March 2023

Without Isaac Newton this small manor would be just another Lincolnshire farmhouse - but in 1665 the plague sent him back from university to this place where he was born. For 18 months Newton worked in solitude, experimenting obsessively, laying foundations for the science of today.

Woolsthorpe Manor tells the story of Newton's time at Woolsthorpe, from his birth and childhood to the discoveries of his Year of Wonders. In the 17th century manor house you can stand in the room where he used a prism to split sunlight into the colours of the rainbow, exploring the nature of light. From the window you can see the apple tree in the orchard which inspired his theory of gravity.

Coming back to the present day, you can discover Newton's science for yourself in the hands-on Science Centre and walk to the village church (not National Trust) where he was baptised. For more than 300 years people have come to Woolsthorpe, drawn by his story to find their own inspiration in this place of genius.