Bermuda Cruises - St. George's Parish of Bermuda.

As the oldest continually inhabited town of English origin in the New World, St. George's retains a charm that reflects the character of the community and the warmth of Bermuda's hospitality. St. George's is now recognized as a World Heritage Site. It is a place to reflect on the past and experience the heritage of Bermuda's unique history. Military fortifications constructed to defend against Britain's enemies, settlers building ships and trading in far off lands and Confederate officers overseeing the interests of the South during the American Civil War. These are just a few of the influences that have shaped the Town of St. George's through time. Nearly 400 years of history are represented in the historic houses, public buildings and old forts found here.

The architecture of the old town spans the centuries, from limestone buildings to a gracious 19th-century Georgian Mansion. This is where Bermuda's unique style of architecture was developed, with the decorative details that disguised their practical purpose. The walls and gates are a defining feature of the Town of St. George's they were originally constructed to keep animals from trampling vegetable and herb gardens. There are traditional "welcoming arms" steps leading up the front doors and all manners of chimneys, reflecting the time period in which particular buildings were constructed.

During a series of public town meetings in 1995 the Town Heritage Plan was devised with the aim of enhancing the quality of the town and its buildings through restoration and preservation. The objectives of the plan include lining the streets with brick, placing electricity and communications wires underground, developing a waterfront boardwalk and establishing a Heritage Visitors' Center. The St. George's Foundation, formed to oversee the strategic plan, successfully applied for World Heritage Site recognition from United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), placing the town in league with India's Taj Mahal and Egypt's pyramids. All around you, the Town of St. George's history is present in the names of its streets and alleys: Old Maid's Lane, Barber's Alley, Aunt Peggy's Lane, Nea's Alley. There are also streets named after the dukes of Kent, Clarence, Cumberland and York, all sons of King George III.

But St. George's is not just an attraction for visitors; it is a living town whose citizens cherish it not only for its cultural significance, but also as a place to reside. Children play on their way home from school, shopkeepers and business people call out to one another and congregate by their doors for a chat, and the post lady knows everyone by name. Families have lived in their homes for generations and the sense of contentment and pride is rarely discussed but always present. St. George's is a town that thrives on continuity and little change.

In the center of town is King's Square, where the pillories, stocks and whipping post still stand as reminders of the punishments of the past for drunks and debtors. The ducking stool is used almost daily in the summertime and visitors may watch the humiliation of the town "wench" as she is dropped in the harbor for gossiping and nagging her husband! From November to March these reenactments of public punishment take place on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

The Town Hall is in the center of the square and is where the Corporation of St. George's, formed in 1797, still meets to oversee the town's business. Inside are chairs for five common councilors, three aldermen and the Mayor. The room is adorned with the portraits of past mayors.

Over the centuries, Bermuda, and particularly St. George's, has inspired writers and artists from all over the world. Although Irish poet Thomas Moore (1779-1852) spent just five months here, he found these islands an ideal creative environment. While in Bermuda he wrote of the winding alleys of St. George's and of the islands' natural beauty in his famous "Odes to Nea". Today a bronze bust in a small garden behind the Town Hall depicts him.

Across the bridge from King's Square lies Ordnance Island, used by the British military for storing ammunition and equipment. Originally in this spot were two islands known as Gallows Island, where public executions took place, and Ducking Stool Island, the site of the public punishments. Today there is a park dedicated to the memory of Bob Burns, St. George's town crier for many years, and here you will find a statue of Admiral Sir George Somers, whose flagship, the Sea Venture, was shipwrecked off Bermuda in 1609 en route to Virginia. Across from the park is a replica of the Deliverance, one of two ships built by the shipwreck survivors to carry them on to their original destination of James Fort.

On Bridge Street you'll find Bridge House, at varying times the home of the governor, a councilor, a privateer and a silversmith. Now owned by the Bermuda National Trust, the front of this early-17th-century building has been opened to the public as an art gallery.

Sitting atop a small hill above and behind the Town Hall is one of the oldest standing stone structures in the New World, The State House. Built around 1620 by Governor Nathaniel Butler, it housed Bermuda's first parliament and courthouse, and was the storehouse for the islands' gunpowder for over 150 years. When the seat of Parliament was moved to Hamilton in 1815 the building was rented to Bermuda's oldest Masonic Lodge, St. George, for the yearly rent of one peppercorn! Today the payment of the peppercorn rent has become an annual ceremony in the town and the building is open to the public on Wednesdays.

The Bermuda National Trust owns many historic properties in St. George's, including two buildings that now house museums. Located on King's Square in the former Globe Hotel is the Bermuda National Trust Museum, site of the "Rogues and Runners" exhibit that documents a busy time in the town's past - the American Civil War. Used as a hub for British ships unloading supplies and weapons for the Confederates, as well as steamships that delivered cotton and then ran the blockade to Wilmington, St. George's was crowded with sailors, soldiers, officers and businessmen for the duration of the war. Tucker House on Water Street is open six days a week and is named after President Henry Tucker, brother of St. George Tucker, whose home may be visited in Colonial Williamsburg. Henry Tucker was a prominent politician and clever diplomat. He was married to the British Governor's daughter and held the post of Colonial Treasurer, President of the Council and on four occasions, Acting Governor. He boasted a family of 11 sons and one daughter. Tucker's descendants returned the home's period furnishings, which include silver and family portraits, to the museum.

Next to the Tucker House is Barber's Alley, one of the many narrow streets in St. George's that tell a story of the past and the characters of the town. Joseph Hayne Rainey, a freeman who arrived in Bermuda during the American Civil War, set up a barbershop in the kitchen of the Tucker House. His wife was a successful seamstress. Following the war, Rainey and his wife returned to South Carolina and he went on to become the first elected black member of the U.S. House of Representatives. An exhibit at the Tucker House explores Rainey's fascinating life story. With the fundraising efforts of the St. George's Foundation, Barber's Alley was the first street in St. George's to be improved with new streetlights and brick paving.

In the center of the Town of St. George's is St. Peter's Church, the oldest Anglican Church in continuous use in the New World. Weddings, funerals and prayer have taken place here since 1612. Bermuda's first assizes were held in the church, and the building was also used for storage of the islands' first tobacco crops. In the graveyard stands a large cedar tree where the church bell was hung, and a wall plaque by the western graveyard commemorates a small segregated area where slaves and free blacks were buried. Within the church are many of the earliest pieces of locally crafted furniture, including the cedar altar and a cedar dole cupboard for the giving of alms that dates back to 1640.

Behind St. Peter's Church is the Old Rectory, originally built around 1700 by privateer George Dew. It is open to the public on Wednesday afternoons from November to March and is thought to be haunted. At the end of Petticoat Lane (or Silk Alley) is Pilot Darrell's Square, named after the first free black Bermudian to own his own home, which sits on the square. Darrell was awarded his freedom by British Admiral George Murray for safely piloting the gun ship HMS Resolution through the reefs and into safe anchorage. Darrell's home is still occupied today by his descendents.

A walk through Somers Gardens reminds us why Admiral Sir George Somers was pivotal in Bermuda's history. A tomb and plaque commemorate his courage as Admiral of the fleet that included the shipwrecked Sea Venture, which led to the eventual arrival of Bermuda's first settlers in 1612. In the corner of this tranquil park allegedly lies the Admiral's heart; his body was returned to his birthplace, Lyme Regis in England.

On Water Street west is the town's newest attraction, The Bermudian Heritage Association Museum. Housed in the Samaritans' Lodge, this museum explains the role of the early Friendly Societies, formed after slavery was abolished throughout the British Empire in 1834. Exhibits include the Native American heritage of St. David islanders and the story of Cup Match, Bermuda's annual two-day cricket match, which was first played to celebrate emancipation. On Duke of Kent Street is the Mitchell House, built for a newlywed couple in the early 18th century. In the kitchen you will find a wide hearth and bread oven, woven palmetto baskets and cooking accessories such as calabash gourds for dipping water and sea fans for whisking. Today home to the St. George's Historical Society Museum, Printery and Garden, the house has one of the best-preserved "welcoming arms" steps on the island and a working printing press on the lower floor.

Nearby is the Unfinished Church, built to replace St. Peter's Church in the late 19th century, but never completed. Lack of funds, disputes between parishioners and a severe storm resulted in a photogenic Gothic ruin that is today maintained by the Bermuda National Trust.

Fort St. Catherine, on the northern tip of St. George's Island, was in use from the early 17th century right up until World War II. The fort's exhibits include a video on Bermuda's fortifications, replicas of the Crown Jewels and an explanation of the Fort's resident ghost, George! Near the fort are three beaches offering fantastic swimming and snorkeling. When sunbathing on Gates Bay, take a moment to imagine the Sea Venture's shipwreck survivors coming ashore on that fateful day in July of 1609. From May to October beach rentals are available at Tobacco Bay and Achilles Bay; both also offer changing facilities and a place to have lunch. And Buildings Bay is the site of the construction of the Deliverance, the ship that eventually carried the Sea Venture's shipwrecked passengers on to their original destination in Virginia.

Of course, there is much more to do in the Town of St. George's in addition to sightseeing. Its restaurants and pubs offer a wide range of menus, from elegant European fare to the traditional Bermuda fish sandwich with tartar sauce. And there are plenty of shopping opportunities for Scottish wool, fine china and souvenirs. You'll find branches of main Bermudian department stores, as well as shops unique to the old town and artists' studios where you may have a print personally signed by the painter.

Recreational opportunities are also abundant in St. George's. You can spend a pleasant morning or afternoon at St. George's Golf Course on Park Road. Designed by Robert Trent Jones, the course is challenging and beautiful, with ocean views at every hole. The course offers a pro shop, club rentals and locker facilities, and a bar and restaurant overlooking the 18th green. Call for rates, specials and tee times. Open weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and weekends and public holidays from 7:00 a.m. until dark.

The architecture and quaint winding streets of St. George's, plus historical reenactments, bring the remarkable past of Bermuda's World Heritage Town to life for visitors and locals alike. History is never far away here, whether you are out on the links enjoying a challenging game of golf with amazing views, shopping along the waterside or lying on the beach soaking up the sun. Don't miss visiting this intriguing chapter of Bermuda's story.

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The Nine Parishes of Bermuda

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