History of Wallace's House 'The Dell'
By George Beccaloni
Wallace built "The Dell" in Grays, Essex (now 25 College Avenue), paying for it using the small fortune he had earnt from the sale of the natural history specimens he collected during is epic 8 year expedition to the Malay Archipelago (1854-1862). He lived in the house from March 1872 until July 1876 and during this four year period he wrote his books On Miracles and Modern Spiritualism (published March 1875) and his two volume magnum opus The Geographical Distribution of Animals (published May 1876).