Ghost of Haslar: Captain Robert Fitzroy
Play this short film or read the story below.
Being stuck on board ship on the open sea can be so boring. Cold, icy waves like those in the Baltic crashing up onto the deck.
This was my second voyage on HMS Beagle and this time I was the captain of the expedition.
My friend William Burnett at Haslar asked me to collect animal specimens for study during my travels.
We visited many places including the Galapagos Islands where I collected finches that helped Charles Darwin develop his theory of evolution.
Our journey around the world was a great adventure, but sometimes exhausting – we stopped a lot and the ship often smelt bad.
When we arrived home, I visited Haslar and its museum, but gave my collections to the Natural History Museum in London.
This story is part of a Ghosts of Haslar History Trail around Gosport’s Haslar Waterfront.