Saturday 6 December 2008

Visiting Erasmus Bunny

Today we did our weekly visit to the herb garden at the back of the Erasmus Darwin House, to feed local celebrity, Erasmus Bunny. According to Jenny Uglow's book, The Lunar Men, Darwin's house originally looked east into the Cathedral Close, but Darwin added a new front (pictured below) facing west across what's now Beacon Street.


The courtyard at the back of the house has perhaps the best view in Lichfield, overlooking the herb garden with the cathedral spires rising behind it.



Erasmus Bunny lives in a hutch by the Cathedral gift shop, keeping up the tradition of a resident rabbit (we know from Darwin's letters that he kept 'queer-coloured rabbits'). Let's be honest, Erasmus is a pretty grumpy rabbit, especially when it's cold weather. Here he's refusing to leave his burrow...


But he's easily bribed with a handful of rabbit treats.



Then it's back home, pausing to admire the ornamental flagstones and the Darwin portrait.




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2 comments:

Vic said...

Love Erasmus bunny and the trip to Erasmus Darwin's house and herb garden. Thank you.

Mrs Woffington said...

Glad you enjoyed it! Erasmus Bunny gets fed, I think, by half the neighbourhood, hence his rather chubby appearance...