Sir Isaac Newton's home reopens after winter work

The Lincolnshire home of scientist Sir Isaac Newton is to reopen to the public after its annual winter conservation work.

He was born at Woolsthorpe Manor near Grantham in 1642 and later returned to live there during the 1660s.

It is claimed that while in the garden, he observed an apple falling from a tree that led to his theory of gravity.

The 17th Century house is now in the care of the National Trust.

Emma Michalek, operations manager at the house , said she was looking forward to having visitors back.

"Each year we welcome people from across the globe, keen to find out where some of the greatest discoveries and theories of all time were inspired," she said.

"This year we will take a closer look at how the apple tree at Woolsthorpe Manor became one of the world's best known scientific stories and how this inspirational account has impacted so many different people and institutions."

Newton returned home in 1665 after Cambridge University, where he was a student, closed because of the Great Plague.

Years later, he told a story that a falling apple in the orchard inspired him to think about the theory of gravity, which he described in his 1687 book Principia.

Cuttings from the tree have been sent to universities across the world.

The house will offer hands on exhibits that allow visitors to recreate some of Newton's experiments.

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