St George’s Town Attractions

King's Square

Many attractions are located around King's Square where a beautiful 18th-century Town Hall overlooks the old pillory and stocks. The Hall is no longer in use but does provide great photo opportunities. Located close by is the ducking stool where gossips and petty offenders were forced to endure the humiliation of being dunked in the harbour. A few minutes walk from here is the Old State House, Bermuda's first all-stone structure and oldest building dating to 1620. Originally known as Sessions House, it was the first permanent home of the colonial assembly, which until then, had held their debates in St Peter's Church.

Somers Garden

Located North of King's Square is Somers Garden, named after the colony's founder whose ship, Sea Venture, was wrecked off the island in 1609. Finding it a fairly nice place to be washed ashore, Sir George Somers built a replacement vessel from the local cedar, left some sailors behind to establish British claim to the islands and then headed home. He returned within the year but died shortly after arrival, leaving his heart, quite literally, on the island (his vital organs and entrails are in a small tomb in the Garden). The rest of his body however was sent back to England, as was customary at the time.

St Peter's Church, St George's Town © Bermuda.Com Ltd

St Peter's Church

St Peter's Church is one of Bermuda's most cherished landmarks. It is the oldest Anglican Church outside Britain. The original wooden structure was built in 1612 and its roof thatched with palmetto. Among St Peter's many treasures are a mahogany altar, the oldest piece of Bermudian furniture on the Island, the St George's chalice that was presented in 1625, a Bible from 1594, Charles I silver, open cedar timber beams, beautiful chandeliers, and marble memorials to some of the Island's earliest governors. St Peter's served as the only public meeting place in Bermuda until the State House was built. The churchyard is also well worth walking around in. Tombstones tell of epidemics, shipwrecks and war. The grave of Sir Richard Sharples, Bermuda's governor who was assassinated in 1973, lies on the east side; on the west side is a collection of unmarked stones, poignant testimony to the segregated slave section.

Address: Duke of York Street; Telephone: (441) 297 8359; Opening time: Daily 10am to 4.30pm; Sunday services begin at 11am; Admission: Free

Globe Hotel

Globe Hotel

Situated across from St Peter's is the Globe Hotel. It was built in 1699 and houses the fascinating National Trust Museum. The museum documents Bermuda's role in the US Civil War when St George enjoyed unprecedented wealth from helping the southern states run the northern naval blockade.

Address: 32 Duke of York Street; Telephone: (441) 297 1423; Website: www.bnt.bm; Transport: Buses 1, 3, 10 or 11; Opening time: Museum: Wednesday to Saturday 10am to 4pm (November to March), Monday to Saturday 10am to 4pm (April to October); Admission: Museum: BD$5 (adults), BD$2 (children 6-18 years)

Tucker House Museum

Tucker House Museum

This elegant, early 18th-century edifice was the home of Henry Tucker, a descendant of Bermuda's second governor, Daniel Tucker. A freed American slave named Joseph Hayne Rainey ran a barber shop here during the American Civil War. Years later he returned to South Carolina to become the first African-American member of the United States House of Representatives. Today, the mansion is a museum and houses the furniture and silver collection that once belonged to the Tucker family.

Address: 5 Water Street; Telephone: (441) 297 0545; Website: www.bnt.bm; Transport: Bus 1, 3, 10 or 11; Opening time: Monday to Saturday 10am to 4pm (April to October), Wednesday to Saturday 10am to 4pm (November to March); Admission: BD$5 (adults), BD$2 (children 6-18 years)

Somers’ Wharf

Somer's Wharf is a tastefully redeveloped area on the waterfront with a selection of shops and restaurants. The Carriage Museum has a collection of well-maintained carriages ranging from a dog-cart to a four-horse brake that ruled the roads until as recently as 1946 when cars were legalized. Situated nearby is Tobacco Bay, a good spot for swimming and snorkelling.

Fort St Catherine

On the northern tip of St George's Island is Fort St Catherine, overlooking the beach where Sir George Somers and his shipwrecked crew came ashore in 1609. Bermuda's first governor Richard Moore, who was a carpenter by trade, built a wooden fort on this site several years later. Since then it was rebuilt and renovated so that today it is a massive fortification complete with a moat, drawbridge, ramparts and a maze of tunnels. Fort St Catherine is now used as a museum containing period weapons, colourful dioramas, a wax figure of Queen Elizabeth II, and replicas of Britain's crown jewels. An audiovisual presentation focuses on the many forts located around Bermuda.