Beagle Bells and Darwin (place & the man)

On a rainy Saturday in December, David and I ventured out into a park in Darwin (Australia) to take some photos of a memorial to Charles Darwin who sailed on the ship HMS Beagle to the Southern hemisphere

The Port of Darwin was sighted by John Lort Stokes in 1839 and was named in Darwin’s honour by his friend and former shipmate John Clements Wickham.

Featuring a series of 10 cast bronze bells and a replica HMS Beagle ship’s bell, cast in brass, the HMS Beagle Ship Bell Chime brings together the separate Eastern and Western bell traditions.

Whilst in Australia, Darwin was amazed at the varietal range of the parrot species, and a selection of these, cast in bronze, from the small Budgerigar to the large Black Cockatoo, are perched on top of each bell.

• G# Red Crested Black Cockatoo
• A# Galah
• C# Sulphur Crested Cockatoo
• D# Crimson Rosella
• F# Eastern Rosella
• G# Red-collared Lorikeet
• A# HMS Beagle
• C# Night Parrot
• D# Cockatiel
• F# Budgerigar
• G# Wild Budgerigar

David in the rain, with some of the bells.