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web files in a constantly updated compendium on Bermuda's business, culture,
cuisine, customs, districts, economy, education, food, geography, government,
history, internet access, laws, parishes, politics, religions, traditions,
wildlife etc. For tourists, business visitors, employers, employees, newcomers,
researchers, retirees, scholars. Funded by and linked to The
Royal Gazette, Bermuda's only daily newspaper.
By Keith Archibald Forbes (see About Us) exclusively for Bermuda Online
To refer by e-mail to this file use "bermuda-online.org/seecity.htm" as your Subject
The capital, administrative and government centre, in Pembroke Parish. The elected body is the Corporation of Hamilton. The Corporation employs about 120 staff and is responsible for the administration and maintenance of the City of Hamilton, including multi-million plans for a new waterfront. Taxes on businesses and homes account for about 40 percent of its revenue, with the majority of the rest coming from wharfage fees on all goods passing through Hamilton port and parking charges and fines. It meets every other Tuesday behind closed doors to discuss the affairs of the city and how its 2007/2008 $20 million budget should be spent. But the people who pay taxes, wharfage charges and parking fees to the Corporation and who elect the mayor, aldermen and common councillors every three years cannot attend or read later about was discussed. Minutes of the meetings are not released and the press is excluded. This has been the case for many decades. It is unique, not only in the Western hemisphere but also in the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, etc. in holding its meetings privately as an elected body.
Accommodation
No hotels are in the city now, although a Ritz Carlton is planned. There used to be several city hotels. They included the American Hotel and Canadian Hotel - when the city had a thriving trade of agricultural produce shipped weekly from its port. Later, there was the large Hamilton Hotel, where the City Hall and it Car Park are now. It was easily the largest in Bermuda but was burnt down over four decades ago and never rebuilt. The Princess Hotel, Waterloo House, and several others are within walking distance, in Pembroke Parish but not the city. The only place that accommodates visitors in the city is a private club, the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club.
For a free map of the city, see the Visitors Service Bureau by the Ferry Terminal.
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business center |
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business facilities |
- Ship view |
- dining |
- disabled access |
- fitness |
- golf course |
- meeting room |
- pool |
- public buses |
- public ferries |
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shopping |
- walking area |
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With General Henry Hamilton's success in the British Army, following the passage of the Quebec Act in 1774, he was appointed Lieutenant Governor of Detroit, where he led the King's 8th Regiment. From Detroit, he directed the Indians during the American Revolutionary War. He soon acquired a notorious reputation from American historians of the time as the "Hair Buyer of Detroit") for helping British financed Indians - scalp rebel Americans on the frontiers. In February 1779, he was one of the many of the King's 8th Regiment captured by the Americans at Vincennes in the famous expedition led by George Rogers Clark and was sent in chains to Williamsburg, Virginia. His eventual parole, release to the British for a huge ransom, exchange in 1781 and repatriation to London were difficult and complex because of the American complaints. From there, he was Lieutenant Governor of Quebec, then Governor, from 1782 to 1785. He was dismissed from office for reasons not his own and returned to England. But his reputation and the intercession of his influential family and friends returned him to favor. He was appointed by King George III of Britain as Lieutenant Governor of Bermuda (or Somers Isles) in America, and Commander in Chief of Forts King's Castle, Fort Hamilton, Fort Popple and Fort Paget on February 26, 1787. Commemorative City Coin, 1993 |
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He was then 53 years old. His commission also authorized him to act as full Governor in case of death or absence of Governor in Chief and Captain General William Browne (a British Loyalist born in Massachusetts, USA), who left Bermuda on October 27, 1788, never to return, although he was technically still Governor of Bermuda more than a year later. It was not until January 1, 1790 that Hamilton officially became full Governor of Bermuda. In every way, he was a very good, capable, honest, efficient and trustworthy bachelor Governor. It is not well known, even by locals, that the city motto "Hamilton Sparsa Collegit" is not directly about the city but about how Governor "Hamilton had brought together the scattered." Later, he was Governor of the much bigger (more than ten times the size) but less populated Caribbean island of Dominica in the Leeward Islands (not to be confused with the Spanish-speaking Dominican Republic). There, he got married, at the age of 61, to a young English girl, Elizabeth Lee, on March 19, 1795, only four months after his arrival. |
She was 25 years old and the daughter of a Colonel Lee, of Banbury, Oxfordshire, England. (It is not clear whether she had any children but the Colonial Society of Massachusetts newsletter number 336 of March 1902 says Governor and Mrs. Hamilton had one child, Mary Anne Pierpoint, who died unmarried on December 12, 1871). While still Governor of Dominica, he died in Antigua where he had gone for treatment because of his declining health. He was unique in British colonial history - the only Governor of three separate places, especially popular in the last two. In Bermuda and Dominica, the largest of the British Caribbean territories, he was very much a diplomat. In Dominica, most of the inhabitants there regarded him as the savior from the French who several times tried uprisings. With his former military prowess, he led the British forces and local militia and aborted the attempts.
(For further details about Governor Henry Hamilton, see the Bermuda Historical Quarterly, Autumn Quarter 1964).
If
Hamilton was in Great Britain it would have
qualified as a city since the 19th century, because Hamilton has an Anglican (Episcopalian)
cathedral dating back to that time. With the building - actually,
re-building - of the Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity, the
status of city was conferred on the Town of Hamilton in 1897 by her
Majesty Queen Victoria. Actually, it has three cathedrals
(the other two are
AME and Roman Catholic). This was done by local Act of Parliament to commemorate its 200th
anniversary of establishment as a municipality - town with a Mayor. Long after Hamilton was incorporated as a
town, it became a municipality in Bermuda under the Municipalities Act 1923 of
the Bermuda House of Parliament.
It has a resident population of only about 1,800 today. The city is presently 185 acres in size, substantially more than when first established but still one of the smallest cities in the world. Most of its inhabitants by day prefer to live beyond the city. But they come to it daily for employment, as it has more than 90 percent of all the employers in Bermuda. About 13,500 persons - 40% of Bermuda's working population work in the city.
It hosts the Bermuda Government, with its many buildings, army of civil servants, large number of elected and appointed politicians, cruise and cargo ships. It is one of the two local container ports and the hub of Bermuda's international business administration.
The City has changed significantly in the last two decades. Total built floor space has increased by over 40%. Commercial and Bermuda Government floor space have doubled. The number of persons employed in the City has increased by 25% but the number of people living in the City has decreased by 32%. There are 14% more automobiles coming into the City in the morning rush hour.
March 2006. The Royal Gazette group reported on an ambitious scheme to de-clutter and beautify Hamilton's Front Street waterfront and create new land in the harbour. It was presented by Mayor Lawson Mapp and colleagues to the people of Bermuda at a packed public meeting. It radically does away with the cargo docks and the need for cruise ships to berth alongside Front Street blocking views of the harbour. And an underground car park for 800 cars and 800 motorcycles would both do away with unsightly parking lots spoiling the aesthetics of the scheme, while at the same time boosting the number of parking spaces in the heart of town. Luxury waterfront housing, a hotel, end of pier restaurant and marinas would transform the area, along with landscaped public parks that can be used for hosting open air events, including the potential for 1,000 people to enjoy musical events on a sloping lawn in a new "Parliament Park" opposite the Cabinet Building. The plan would entail building new land mass jutting out into the harbour on which to build a hotel, housing, offices and shops as well as marinas. Early concept artwork showing a signature public park surrounded by pavements and plazas, a new road taking traffic off Front Street half-way between Parliament Street and Burnaby Lane, and a new cruise ship pier angled out of Albuoy's Point. Among those who attended was Deputy Premier Ewart Brown, who spoke at the start of the meeting. It is estimated the plan will cost around $639 million and take between ten and 20 years to complete. Those involved in the five-month project to draw up the waterfront vision believe 80 percent of the development would be funded from the private sector with the remainder – estimated to be $122m – the responsibility of the Corporation of Hamilton. During a public presentation held in ferry terminal shed number one, planning consultant Tony Mallows told the audience: "This plan is a tool. This is the first step in outlining a framework for how a master plan needs to be detailed and implemented. The Corporation has come forward with a vision and a framework. This is not a blueprint for how to build Hamilton's waterfront. My suggestion is that the next step is to refine and define the process where every one can participate." Mr. Mallows, of Massachusetts-based Sasaki Associates, and Patrick Phillips, President of Economics Research Associates in Washington DC, presented the vision that has been created in consultation with the Corporation. The reason for the meeting was to gauge public views and gather input. Further public consultation is planned. It is forecast that the new waterfront would create 860 permanent jobs and generate around $5.4m in property and office taxes. A new cruise ship pier would be able to cope with two small ships, as currently visit Hamilton, or one Panamax-sized cruise ship should the need arise. It is envisaged the development would be done in two phases, with the second phase replacing the cargo docks. It is also intended to break the scheme into development "parcels" allowing a number of developers the opportunity to participate. Tourism department transportation consultant Larry Jacobs indicated that Government was engaged in "generating thought and discussion" about the future of the Front Street docks. He said discussions were ongoing with the Corporation and various groups and authorities to consider the possibility of moving the docks to another location, with Morgan's Point and the area on North Shore near the incinerator amongst the possibilities. Asked what the next stage is, Mayor Mr. Mapp, said: "After we have had these presentations the dust will have to settle and then we will have expressions of interest and see the response we get from there and move forward." Former Premier Sir John Swan first proposed a Hamilton waterfront redevelopment a number of years ago. The new plan has taken the idea forward and crucially had found a way of ensuring visiting cruise ships no longer block the view of the harbour from Front Street.
A luxury 8-floor apartment complex for 68 apartments, including 1 and 2-bedroom units, completed in 2003 and formally opened in January 2004, on Parliament Street, between Victoria and Dundonald Streets. Developer was Sir John Swan, a former Premier. They are for sale to Bermudians only, not non-Bermudians or their employers. Bermuda-based including international companies have snapped them up or rented them for their senior employees, mostly CEOs or CFOs . Prices then were $635,000 to $850,000 per unit. The units range in size from about 700 to 1,100 square feet and are equipped with the latest in telecommunications. Facilities include a heated swimming pool, gym, sundeck and gourmet shop. They were built by former Premier and developed Sir John W. Swan who also owns many other properties.
A local colloquialism, it refers to the northern end of the city which abuts Pembroke March. Pond Hill is the highest point of swampy, low-lying ground near Back O' Town.
Just within the city
boundary is this waterfront bay and park, in Hamilton Harbor, on the west side
of the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club. Both are named after an old Bermudian
family that dates back to 1727. In 1821 John Barr, a merchant in the
town of St. George, married Frances Goodrich, a member of the family of rich
American Loyalists who had lived in the town since the American Revolution. In
addition to these two places, Barr's Hill in St.
George's Parish is also named after them. In 1861 the couple's only son,
William Shedden Barr, married Charlotte Eleanor Burnaby Lough, only daughter of
the Rev. John Lough and Mary Hinson Lough. (For more information about them see Bermuda
Atlas & Gazetteer, page 193).
The park is small but scenic. It is nice for a picnic, with seating in a waterside garden setting. It has shady trees. There is access for the healthy and those in wheelchairs, via an incline. But to avoid a busiest times of the main road, pick an evening before dark or a weekend. See White's Island on your left in the harbor, also cruise ships or other vessels passing by. Also superb as a place to watch the annual illuminated boat parade, every December just before Christmas.
Photograph: Keith A. Forbes
The Bermuda Government's depository of Bermuda's heritage, history and historic art, at the Government Administration Building, 30 Parliament Street, open to the public on week days. Telephone 295-5151. It has no web site address but the email address of the Archivist is khayward@gov.bm. The agency falls in the administration of the Premier of Bermuda.
In a climate controlled system for 40% relative humidity and a constant temperature of 65 degrees Fahrenheit, see many original documents, parchment deeds of the early 1600's to 20th century files, documentary art and Bermuda's largest holding of vintage photographs.
The Archives Advisory Council, under the Bermuda Archives Act 1974, currently includes the Hon. Chief Justice, Chair; Walton Brown, Jr; John Cox, Bermuda Historical Society Representative; Nancy Hooper; Dr; Clarence Maxwell; Dulcie Roe, St. George's Historical Society; Joy Wilson-Tucker; William Zuill, Bermuda National Trust. The Public Records Committee, under the Bermuda Archives Act 1974 (when they were moved from the Bermuda Library), consists of the Government Archivist as the Chairman, the Secretary to the Cabinet, Solicitor General, Accountant General, Director of Computer Systems and Services and Director of Telecommunications.
This seasonal event - about two hours a night in January to March 2, 2002 - is mostly at City Hall, accessible via a curving outdoor ramp. A separate ramp inside the City Hall now leads to the City Hall Theatre. There are special places for the wheelchair-bound and a seat nearby for a caregiver. Regular prices apply.
Headquarters, King Street. From April, 2007 Bermuda’s three fire departments are unified into a single national fire service. After 76 years of existence the volunteer St. George Fire Brigade became history, along with the Bermuda International Airport fire service. Both are absorbed into the Bermuda Fire Service to form a comprehensive emergency service that will span the Island. The 35 volunteers of the former St. George Fire Brigade have expanded training opportunities using such facilities as the smoke and heat chamber at the Hamilton fire headquarters. They will be trained up as emergency medical service providers, giving the East End a rapid response team able to administer immediate medical assistance to casualties awaiting the arrival of an ambulance. Likewise the full-time staff at the airport’s fire department become part of the national fire service and receive cross-training. The current St. George fire station is also to be replaced with a new facility in the town, most likely in the Tiger Bay area. Volunteer fire-fighters in St. George may find themselves being called upon to deal with emergencies as far away as Dockyard if the need arises. They will also be given “Crash Fire Rescue” training needed to deal with airport incidents.
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Open 10 am to 2 pm Monday through Friday. Since 1955, it has occupied the entire ground or first floor of historic Par-La-Ville, Queen Street, Hamilton. Telephone (441) 295-2487. There is no e-mail or website address as it does not use computers and there is no fax machine. But it receives an annual Government grant to provide information to the public who visit in person or write or call. The building, shown, is owned by the Corporation of Hamilton. The entrance through this building is solely for the Society - (not the Bermuda National Library next door). It welcomes members from Bermuda and around the world without charging an admittance fee. But donations are always gratefully accepted. Established in 1895, it is a Bermuda registered charity # 191 and with considerable funds. In August 1927 it was formally incorporated by local Act of Parliament. |
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It holds regular executive and periodic open general meetings and offers membership for a reasonable annual or life cost. It has three rooms of most interesting and in some cases unique museum pieces. Only relatively few of its paintings are visible as most, to preserve them in the appropriate environment for rare and unusual works - are in the care of the Bermuda Archives - a Bermuda Government-owned agency in another part of the city. Note a typewritten copy of the original 1775 letter from George Washington to Bermudians of the day. It requested help in stealing gunpowder from the British garrison for his country's Revolution. It also has some unusual and distinctive Bermuda history books for sale. Other items worth noting include the 1830 Waterford crystal chandelier, the Wedgwood vase that commemorated a very significant anniversary in Bermuda and a remarkable Silver Collection dating back to when local artisans were silversmiths (they created silver out of coins as there were no local sources of silver). |
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The 1790 fiddler's clock made in Bermuda by a silversmith and jeweler, is a one-of-a-kind antique. It's the finest artifact in the museum, a superb piece of craftsmanship. It was made by Thomas Blatchley, an English-born clockmaker who lived and owned a business in St. George's. Standing more than a foot high and described as very ornate with a pagoda-style roof, the clock features a silvered brass face that was inscribed with the clockmaker's name and the word "Bermudo." Perhaps "Bermudo" was inscribed to avoid using the actual name of Bermuda, which could have been Crown-copyrighted at the time. The clock also plays four different melodies. The chime is delightful, playing a trio of chamber musicians and playing instruments when the clock is wound up. While the clock had been restored in the early 1990s, it had fallen into disrepair over the last few years and one of its vital parts was broken. Instead of shipping the delicate artifact off island, the Society looked to a Front Street firm, Swiss Timing, to bring the clock back to working order. An additional feature of the clock is its silvered brass face, which has an even more interesting story. While Thomas Blatchley's business was clock making, we know from advertisements in the Bermuda Gazette that he also offered watch making, engraving and silversmith services. Blatchley's employee, Peter Pallais, a French-born silversmith, moved to Bermuda around the time the clock was made and one could deduce that the face of the clock could have been made by his hand. |
Eventually Pallais took over Mr. Blatchley's business upon his death. He was one of the island's earliest converts to the Methodist faith and for his convictions, he was also one the early 19th-century victims of religious persecution in Bermuda. He, along with Bermuda's first Methodist minister, the Rev. John Stephenson, were imprisoned for nine days at the jail in St. George's, which is now the site of the St. George's Historical Society located on Duke of Kent Street. In 1992, the clock was valued at £15,000.
The English piano by a famous manufacturer was exhibited in London in the 1850s. No one quite knows how it arrived in Bermuda. (Do not try to open the keyboard). Other antiques include a portrait of William Perot, the original owner of the house this museum occupies, as well as its adjacent grounds, nor Par La Ville Park; a handsome tall-case clock by Thomas Millington of London and a noteworthy collection of Chinese export and Wedgwood china.
See original 17th century portraits
of Admiral
Sir George Somers who founded Bermuda (part of his portrait is on the
right) and his wife Lady Somers.
See our exclusive Admiral Somers file for how his exploits and how he came to discover and colonize Bermuda for the United Kingdom, are described fully.
He and his wife were from and lived in the ancient English town of Lyme Regis in Dorset, now twinned with the Historic Town of St. George in Bermuda.
Records of the Society include, in records of the long-defunct Bermuda Historical Quarterly, details of the 40 year period in Bermuda's history from the 1820s to 1860s as a convict prison for British convicts who lived on prison hulks and built the Royal Naval Dockyard.
Of more recent interest are exhibits from the Boer War when thousands of South African prisoners of war (men and boys) were transported to exile on various islands in Bermuda from 1901 to 1902. Bermuda was one of the places selected as a prisoner-of-war-camp for the Boers because of its distance from South Africa.
Until recently, The curator of the museum, historian and postage stamp collector was Colin Benbow, also then a weekly columnist in a local newspaper and a former teacher and member of parliament. He wrote one of his several books about them. Mr. Benbow and a colleague, a retired Superintendent in the Bermuda Police Service and historian too, are noted collectors and have the largest collections anywhere in Bermuda and possibly in the world of souvenirs of the Boer War left by the South Africans.
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Also see the English sedan chair of 1770, very similar to those used by the Mozart family and others in Austria, France and Britain. It was restored a few years ago and is believed to be the only one left of its type in the entire Western Hemisphere. At least one other sedan chair of about the same period carried prominent local residents like Mrs. George Forbes, the wife of a prominent local Scottish-born doctor in the early 18th century. |
Sponsored by the Bermuda Chamber of Commerce, mostly for visitors. Free entertainment and samples of island culture. Vendors include Kids Corner; Artists; Crafts; Promotions; Charity Groups; Food Court; Entertainment. Some stores have late closing hours (7 pm to 10 pm) for visitors. Annually, Wednesday evenings from late April to mid-October. On these nights, road closures include
Some car and bike parks are closed then.
Dame Lois Browne Evans Building
, at the junction of Church Street, Court Street and Victoria Street. 127,473 sq feet on seven levels. Presently (since December 2007) under construction, with completion on the project scheduled for 2010, at an estimated cost of $75 million. It features four courtrooms on the second floor, plus a Family Court on the third. Architects are Carruthers Shaw and Partners Ltd of Toronto, Canada.
2nd floor, City Hall. Phone (441) 295-9428 or fax (441) 295-2055. Bermuda's art museum with four main exhibition spaces, the Main Gallery, Mezzanine, Watlington Room (after founding trustee Hereward T. Watlington) and Ondaatje Wing (after benefactor Sir Christopher Ondaatje). Since 1992. Registered charity # 228. With artworks and periodic special exhibitions. The permanent collection has four elements:
There is also a gift shop.
13 Queen Street. Telephone (441) 295-2905 (Circulation) or (441) 295-3104 (Reference). E-mail bdanatlib@gov.bm. Winter hours - start the day after Labour Day - are Monday-Thursday 8:30 am.- 7:00 pm.; Friday 10:00 am. - 5:00 pm; Saturday 9:00 am -5:00 pm; Sunday 1:00 pm. - 5:00 pm.
In the 1980s the present modern building took over most of the Library from the much older part of Par-La-Ville - so much so that the Bermuda National Library now has its own entrance which is not at all part of the original Par-la-Ville building (which is why it is not shown here).
What used to be the Colonial Archives and were formerly in the Library were moved years ago to the Bermuda Government Archives on the Government Administration Building on Parliament Street. The ground-floor Reference Library used to be accessible from the Bermuda Historical Society but is no longer accessible from the old building, only from the new wing.
With the initiative of Governor William Reid who arrived in 1839, the original Library was initially established in the east room on the ground floor of what was then the Customs House on Front Street. Later, it was the Colonial Secretariat, now the Cabinet Building. Governor Reid started the depository from a collection of books that was dying out by 1839. It began in 1765 from families living in the Somerset Bridge area of Sandys Parish who had formed the Somerset Bridge Club as a social club. There was also a small club in Pembroke Parish that circulated reading matter among its members.
This was the first library for general use in Bermuda. Governor Reid got the Legislature to approve the facility as a general Colonial Library, consisting then of reference works and practical books. An early published library annual report showed a book collection of 276 initial volumes. He presided personally over the first meeting of the trustees held in August, 1839 - from which came the early regulations governing the library. As directed by the trustees, every inhabitant over Bermuda not a minor had access to the books in the library and for a membership fee could borrow books for home use. A subscription for one year cost six shillings and life membership two pounds. The library was open from midday until 2 pm except on Sundays and holidays.
Today, this now free lending Library is an agency of the Bermuda Government. It is accessible to wheelchair bound local and visiting patrons (via an elevator).
In the Reference Library, visitors can peruse the links between England, Virginia, New England and Bermuda. Rare volumes include the 1624 first edition of Captain John Smith's General History of Virginia, New England and the Somers Isles (Bermuda's alternate name). Other Bermuda books, by local and overseas authors and Bermuda newspapers dating back to 1787 are available for public inspection during library hours.
Bermuda National Library Committee. See Bermuda Government Boards.
See City Hall.
It runs north from Front Street to an intersection with Richmond Road. It is named after the Bermudiana Hotel that was here from the 1920s until the early 1990s when it was demolished to make way for the ACE and XL insurance companies. The hotel was built as part of the bid by the Furness-Bermuda Line to turn Bermuda into a prestigious tourism resort (also built were the Belmont Manor in Warwick, Castle Harbour and Mid Ocean Club). It had magnificent harbour views and its gardens incorporated those of two former historic mansions, one of which was Long House (razed in the 1930s for the hotel). After a fire gutted it in the 1950s, when it was owned by an English millionaire, it was rebuilt, but competition from the Southampton Princess and Sonesta Beach hotels built in the 1960s and 1970s limited its potential.
North from Front Street, at the Flagpole (see below). Burnaby Hill is a steep hill. After Reid Street it changes to Burnaby Street and continues to Church Street where it changes its name to Cedar Avenue. Both the hill and street were named to commemorate Captain Sir William Burnaby, Royal Navy, of Broughton Hall, Oxford, England. He was posted to Bermuda in 1812 as Commanding Officer of the Prison hulk HMS Romulus, during the War of 1812-14 between Britain and the USA. His harsh regime earned him the enmity of American prisoners-of-war on the hulk, so much so that when, many years after the war ended and he was visiting New York by ship from Bermuda, an angry mob threatened to lynch him. In 1816 he married a Bermudian widow, Mrs. Eleanor Wood who inherited a great fortune from her late husband Joseph Wood (thus Woodlands Road, in Pembroke Parish) including a lovely old house called Long House. After a long and happy retirement in Bermuda, Sir William Burnaby died at Long House in 1853 at the age of 63. Lady Burnaby also died there on 1st January 1862, aged 78.
Photo by author solely for Bermuda Online
Washington Street, east of and adjacent to City Hall. Opened in February 2006 at a cost of $2.8 million and many months of construction. The new permanent central terminal for Bermuda's pink and blue buses run by the Public Transportation Board (PTB) of the Bermuda Government. Incoming buses from east and west make their last here of only three city stops. From here, the eastern buses (10 and 11 routes, mostly) travel to the town of St. George via the Middle, North Shore or South Roads. Going west (via routes 7 and 8 mostly), via one stop in the city on Church Street West, they go as far as the Bermuda Royal Naval Dockyard via the Middle or South Roads. There are also less well-used routes. Visitors and new residents should obtain a free copy of the current bus schedule and become familiar with the fare and zone structure, transfer policy, frequency by day and by night, and different types of tickets and passes, as shown in Bermuda Transportation for Visitors. Very busy 8:00 to 8:45 am, 3:30 to 4:30 pm on regular school days when many school children use it, and from 4:30 to 5:30 pm when Bermudian commuters go home tired. The periodic (rush hour only) Express buses to St. George's are specifically for commuters, unlike regular buses used by visitors.
105 Front
Street. Telephone 292-5501. Completed in 1841, this elegant and
important building was remodeled in
1938 as the Colonial Secretariat, and after 1968 became the office of the
Premier of Bermuda, heading the Bermuda Government. It also houses the Senate of
Bermuda - which meets here every Wednesday in the 8 months or so the House of
Assembly is in session at Sessions House - and some very senior civil servants.
The Senate Chamber is open to the public 9 am to 5 pm on weekdays except
Tuesdays and public holidays. Interior walls have portraits of past Premiers and
Senate presidents. Also see a large oil painting
of William Herbert, 3rd Earl of Pembroke (after whom the parish of Pembroke
is named), painted in about 1625 by Daniel Mytens, a Court painter in England,
appointed by King Charles I. There are also portraits of King George III (1760-1820)
and Queen Charlotte by Court Painter Allen Ramsey. Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Nixon
and Bush; British Prime Ministers Macmillan, Heath and Thatcher; and Queen Elizabeth,
Prince Philip and Prince Charles sat at the circular table. Photo by Keith A.
Forbes.
See the 17th century Bermuda cedar chair made for Governor Josias Forster in 1642, when Parliament was in the Town of St. George. In the glass case is the Black Rod, an instrument of office fashioned by the Crown Jewelers in London, carried by the senior police officer summoning the 36 elected politicians and the 11 appointed senators to the Opening or Convening of Parliament every autumn (fall). The Black Rod is a symbol of authority of the Head of State – the monarch's representative when not in Bermuda, and is carried by a senior Police Officer. On this occasion the Governor reads a lengthy, locally written annual Throne Speech, covering intended future local events from the perspective of the political party in power. The Cenotaph war memorial is outside the Cabinet Building. It is a replica of the famous Cenotaph at Whitehall, London. Its flags are those of the Royal Navy, Royal Air Force and British Army, memorializing Bermudians in those British military services who died in World Wars 1 and 2 and whose names are on the Cenotaph. Every November 11, or public holiday commemorating it, during the Remembrance Day parade wreaths are laid at the Cenotaph.
In September 2008 arrangements were made to erect in the grounds a bronze statue of Sally Bassett, a black slave who was burned at the stake in Bermuda in 1730. The larger-than-life figure was created by Bermudian sculptor Carlos Dowling in Dockyard. Some people believe the burning happened at Crow Lane, others say it happened near Albuoy's Point. A variety of locations were looked at for the statue. It was felt it had to be somewhere that was accessible so people could come and stand in front of it. People come in and out of the Cabinet grounds on a regular basis, plus there are tours for visitors. The statue depicts Ms Bassett who had been accused of trying to poison her master as being pregnant. Sculptor Carlos Dowling explained that she was "pregnant with the spirit of freedom."
All are now Pay and Display. Car Parks are at City Hall; Par-La-Ville; No 1; No. 5; No. 7; No. 8; Cavendish; King Street; Bull's Head MS; Bull's Head North; Elliott Street and Laffan Street. Charges are $1.75 per hour from mid 2008, with booklets increasing from $10 to $17.50. For more information, call City Hall at 292-1234. Voucher parking in Hamilton includes sections of or all the following streets: Bermudiana Road; Burnaby Street; Cedar Avenue; Church Street; Court Street; Front Street; Par-La-Ville Road; Parliament Street; Point Pleasant Road; Queen Street; Reid Street; Rosebank Road; Victoria Street; Wesley Street; Washington Street.
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The city issues yearly Disabled Person's Badges for local residents who qualify. They are for use in Bermuda only and do not qualify for use in the UK, USA or Canada, where different criteria apply. The city presently has no reciprocal arrangements with any other jurisdiction abroad. If/when this is done, perhaps the arrangement will be reciprocal. Until then, Bermuda residents are warned not to use their badges abroad as they will not be deemed legal. Nor are overseas-issued badges deemed to be legal in Bermuda. Recipients do not have to be residents of the city so long as they are residents of Bermuda and hold a Special Persons Card. Persons with a valid local Disabled Person's Badge or their qualified caregivers can park in marked handicapped parking bays in Corporation of Hamilton paying car parks in city centers. They pay half the cost of the regular pay and display parking fee, so get two hours of on-street time instead of one. In Voucher Parking areas, they get two hours for 50 cents. They have free limited-time use of one handicapped parking space on Church Street, one on Reid Street outside Marks & Spencer; and one outside the Bermuda National Library. |
Additionally, they can park free in the two specially-marked bays reserved for the physically handicapped immediately behind the west wing of the City Hall, if not already being used by a disabled person and caregiver with a Disabled Person's Badge - but for a limited period only, for example, an hour or two or three, definitely not all day.
Beacon Street, off Cedar Avenue. From 1 August 2003, a hidden park with a new lease of life and newly planted endemic trees.
Above left, City Hall.
17 Church Street, telephone 292-1234, the administrative center and offices of the Corporation of Hamilton (see below). Opened by Governor Sir Julian Alvery Gascoigne, KCMG, on 11 February 1960. It operates the city with a Mayor. In descending order of rank are Aldermen and Common Councilors. Its construction was made possible by the late Miss Catherine Browne Tucker, who bequeathed a substantial sum to the Corporation for the building of a City Hall in memory of her father, George Somers Tucker. He was a former Alderman of the town and Speaker of the House of Assembly. In the heart of Hamilton, on the site of the former Hamilton Hotel, Bermuda's first major hostelry (it burnt down many decades ago and was never rebuilt), it is modeled after the City Hall of Stockholm, Sweden. It was designed by Bermudian architect Will Onions, best remembered for domestic residences. In addition to housing the Corporation of Hamilton, it is the home of the City Hall Theatre (phone 292-2313), Bermuda Society of Arts Gallery and Bermuda National Gallery. Magnificent tall Bermuda cedar doors lead into the main lobby. Inside, a large and controversial portrait of Her Majesty the Queen by Curtis Hooper is on the wall on the way upstairs. A superb cedar staircase leads to the West Exhibition Room where art collections of the Bermuda National Gallery and Bermuda Society of Arts, chandeliers and more are displayed. Note the two large oil paintings of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. They are believed to be the only two copies of original portraits in the Royal Palace of Windsor, in Berkshire, England.
Note the weather vane and wind direction indicator on the tower with a bronze replica of the 17th century vessel Sea Venture as the crown. The vessel brought the first colonists in 1609. There have been periodic exhibitions of postage stamps on Bermuda and a display of ships crests - hundreds of them - from every Royal Navy warship that served on the Bermuda and West Indies Station and visited Bermuda. The reception area also has on public view an excellent philatelic collection - Bermuda postage stamps of the 20th century - donated to the Corporation by author and columnist Colin Benbow and an exhibition of Bermuda currency - notes and coins - from the Bermuda Monetary Authority.
Outside are fountains in a reflective lily pool stocked with goldfish. Disabled persons will find a disabled-friendly access way outside and also inside to the small but nice theater on the western side, always busy with one amateur or professional production or another. Those who cannot walk up the stairs will find an elevator a little to the right of the main entrance.
Distinguished visitors to the City Hall have included Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (both in1975, plus he has visited it in April 1969 during construction); His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales; Her Royal Highness the late Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon; The Right Hon. The Earl of Snowdon; Her Royal Highness Princess Alice; Her Royal Highness Princess Alexandria; His Royal Highness The Duke of Gloucester; former President of the USA Harry S. Truman (in 1961, when he signed the Visitors Book as a "Retired Farmer"); former British Prime Minister The Right Hon. Margaret Thatcher; and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Michael Ramsey.
In the City Hall ground-floor administrative offices of the Corporation of Hamilton are the Mayor's Parlor, where the Mayor has his office. Below the Mayor is the head of staff, equivalent elsewhere to a city Manager, with the title of the Corporation of Hamilton Secretary. He is certified system auditor Edward Benevides, e-mail EBenevides@cityhall.bm.
In 2007-2008, the Corporation had a budget of $20 million.
Outside City Hall is a statue, eight feet tall, cast in New York City, put there in 2008 to honor Bermudians who took a stand against the social segregation that existed in the island with the Theatre Boycott, the watershed event that forever changed Bermuda and ended the institutionalized segregation which existed here at that time. The boycott, organized by the Progressive Group and its leader Dr. Stanley Ratteray, began on June 15, 1959 and lasted two weeks until July 2 when theatre, hotel and restaurant owners capitulated. They announced that black people could sit wherever they wanted in cinemas and that people would no longer be turned away from restaurants or hotels because of the colour of their skin. The Progressive Group had been meeting in secret in a Flatts home owned by Rosalind and Edouard Williams in the weeks leading up to the boycott. They planned the action taken and publicized it by dispersing flyers around the island, advising people to stay away from the theatres. They wanted a total transformation of Bermuda society and to end the social injustices of the time. The statue was commissioned from Bermudian sculptor Chesley Trott.
Mayor Sutherland Madeiros
He was elected on October 27, 2006 after beating off competition from Sonia Grant. Mr. Madeiros – an alderman before the vote – beat former Deputy Mayor Miss Grant by 161 votes to 124. Mr. Madeiros is a semi-retired businessman and lives in Smith's Parish. He is married to Susan and has two grown-up daughters.
Corporation Committees are each chaired by an Alderman. There are also Common Councilors. The latter include Glen Smith, Charles Gosling and Anne Kast. They polled the most votes out of the six candidates standing in a 2008 by-election which saw 249 voters out of a possible 402, or almost 62 percent, head to the polls. The Corporation has had a tumultuous 2008 so far, losing three councillors and an alderman for various reasons over the space of five months, as well as a number of senior staff.
Not open to the public. The only jurisdiction in the western world where this restriction is in effect. Under the Municipalities Act 1923, which governs the Corporation, members do not have the privileges barring them from being sued for libel which are enjoyed by House of Assembly members. This has long been given as a reason why meetings cannot be held in public. But in other parts of the world - for example, all the Community Council meetings in Scotland, England and Northern Ireland, plus those in Canada and USA - where members do not hold House of Parliament or equivalent privileges either, monthly meetings are always held in public, not private, with newspaper notices saying any member of the public can attend any meeting, including an annual general meeting or a special general meeting, for its entirety - and ask questions from the floor. But parliament has power to amend the Act. It has not done so.
The Municipalities Act demands that anyone wishing to stand as mayor, councilor or alderman is a bona fide voter in the city. There are currently about 420 voters and each must own or occupy a valuation unit in the capital or be a chosen nominee for a company or organisation. But some have questioned what the Act — which is under scrutiny at the moment by both Government and the Corporation's legislative committee and likely to be extensively amended — means exactly by 'occupier.' It has been alleged that the City of Hamilton election and forbidding access by the public to meetings methodology is not based on universal adult suffrage, and breaches the European Convention of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. Critics have complained that because business owners have one vote each while residential owners have one vote per household, the system is unfairly biased toward property owners.
Under the Bermuda Municipalities Act of 1923, all homeowners and those who lease shops in the municipality have to pay this in addition to the Land Tax, even though no properties have any public-sector-supplied sewage or water included in their real-estate taxes. Instead, some have water supplied by a private company in addition to any roof catchment facilities. Property owners in the city can vote in municipality elections for the taxes they pay. There is an annual revision of the Municipal Register. In the last city municipality elections, there were 372 eligible voters, of whom 120 voted. Other municipality-based taxpayers who are not property owners or renters as shown below cannot vote.
Eligibility to register must include the following:
For over 100 years, it has been a controversial issue that town hall meetings have not been open to the public, unlike in all British -UK municipalities and most USA and Canadian ones.
Consult Corporation Secretary for details of most recent taxes. Major items are
Revenue
Expenditure
Assets, liabilities and surplus
For further details, contact City Hall.
(Phone 292-2313). See City Hall.
Just west of and facing City Hall, this is bounded by Victoria Street, Church Street, Washington Lane and Wesley Street, with the City Hall and its municipal car park adjacent. Office buildings front the square. Many international businesses registered in Bermuda have insurance captives, management, reinsurance, investment, shipping and service companies here.
Drafted from 1997 to 2002, it became effective in late 2002, with the following aims:
Not piped from individual houses as is common in USA, Canada, UK, etc. Instead, a pipe pumps the city's raw sewage to the Seabright Outfall located south of Hungry Bay, Paget. In 2008 it was discovered that sections of the pipe had been either exposed or damaged. Waste could be pumped directly into the ocean if the pipe springs a leak because no back-up plan is in place to handle the sewage in an emergency. According to a report compiled by Canadian consultant Associated Engineering in May 2008, the current system has had a number of maintenance issues.
Problems with the inner section have included concrete protection erosion and complete exposure during extreme storm events. During a recent site visit, damage to the concrete embedment over the pipe in the near shore was observed. The Corporation of Hamilton continues to address damage to concrete embedment within this section of the outfall. The middle section of the outfall extends to a distance of 1,640 feet offshore and consists of a 14-inch nominal diameter HDPE pipe held in place with anchor chains. This section of the outfall traverses the inner reef and passes through an existing cave in the reef structure. During severe storm events, this section of the outfall has been exposed on several occasions. The existing outfall system has provided reliable service to the Corporation of Hamilton, but does require occasional maintenance. Problems with the inner section have included concrete protection erosion and complete exposure during extreme storm events. The middle HDPE section has also required maintenance and has cracked, requiring the use of repair clamps. The outer HDPE section has not required any known maintenance. The middle section of the outfall is considered the most vulnerable. Ocean and seabed conditions in the inner and middle sections make replacement of the pipe with a deeper buried pipe difficult. Fears have been expressed of a possible environmental catastrophe. The Corporation is now looking at drilling into the ground so that a pipe would be completely covered and protected. But that is a huge expense. In its report, Associated Engineering suggests a method known as Horizontal Directional Drilling as a possible alternative to the current system and identified a number of locations as possible "launching sites" - the current Seabright Avenue location, Ocean Avenue, Ariel Sands, Palm Grove and Devonshire Bay Park. The firm estimated that the cost of the project would be between $9.3 million and $12.6 million, depending on which site is selected.
There are no areas in the city where large ships anchor and take passengers ashore by tender. Cruise ships small enough - no longer than 700 feet in length - to be berthed in this city do so on Front Street, where passengers who are not disabled can go from their ships to the center of the city in an easy walk. The berths are at # 1 Passenger Terminal (with an elevator for the disabled) and 5 and 6 Passenger Terminals (not with elevators for the disabled). Cruise ships too large to be berthed there either anchor in the open Great Sound harbour well beyond Hamilton Harbour and the city limits and operate a tender service to the city, or moor at the old Royal Navy Dockyard in Sandys Parish if space permits.
From 2008 until 2010 only occasional cruise ships call, unlike in previous years when all did. Hamilton was splendidly placed and positioned to receive them with the best cruise ship facilities by a huge margin in Bermuda. There were so many disappointments among cruise ship passengers when Bermuda Tourism officials stopped all contract ( Bermuda Government-subsidized) cruise ships from entering Hamilton that Bermuda slid from 6th place to 24th place in world cruise ship port assessments. But from 2010, public international pressure forced Bermuda Tourism to create opportunities for world-renowned Holland America Line to bring cruise ships into Hamilton. Bermuda's position should then improve significantly in the world cruise ship market.
July 31
, 2007. The Royal Gazette group reported. Curtailing the number of cruise ships in Hamilton will "severely impact" the city's image, Mayor Sutherland Madeiros warned. Mr. Madeiros claimed that having just 11 occasional callers and no regular ships visiting the capital in 2008 would have a dramatic effect on its ambience and international reputation. "Losing Trimingham's and Smith's took some vitality out of the city of Hamilton," he told The Royal Gazette. "Losing cruise ships in addition would severely impact the way in which the city is seen. Cruise ships create a certain amount of vitality." Hamilton currently has three contract cruise ships docking in its harbour regularly each week from May to October: Empress of the Seas, Norwegian Crown and Celebrity Journey. But cruise ship companies are now replacing such vessels with far larger versions - known as post-Panamax ships. Hamilton will not have any contract ships in 2008 or 2009, according to a schedule published by Government earlier this month. Mr. Madeiros said the Corporation of Hamilton disputed a claim made last week by Larry Jacobs, transportation coordinator for the Ministry of Tourism and Transport, that having no regular callers could be a positive thing. "Mr. Jacobs provided no data or even anecdotal evidence to support his assertion," said Mr. Madeiros, who was sworn in as Mayor of Hamilton last October. The Corporation of Hamilton's position is that there is a clear need for regular cruise ships to call in Hamilton in order to sustain a solid economic base for shops and businesses and retain the vitality of the city. Despite the apparent dwindling inventory of regular-size cruise ships world-wide, we know that there are appropriate vessels that would be interested in cruising to Bermuda and tying up alongside in Hamilton." He said the Corporation had offered to help Government look for cruise companies with smaller ships which could visit Hamilton. "Local shipping-industry insiders have also encouraged us to seek out niche cruise lines and introduce them to Government," he said. "However, thus far, Government has discouraged the Corporation from embarking on such a search or, indeed, to have any direct discussions with cruise-ship principals." Mr. Madeiros also rejected what he described as an "implication" by Mr. Jacobs that the Corporation was indecisive and had not been working on waterfront regeneration plans. He said the Corporation had been actively involved and had produced a set of proposals which were presented to the public more than a year ago. "The Corporation will move forward in a measured way with its waterfront plans and continue discussions with all interested parties - including Government and the voters of the City of Hamilton - with a view toward a phased redevelopment project," he said. The Chamber of Commerce has expressed ambivalence about the new cruise ship schedule with some members believing it could boost business because a captive audience of passengers will leave their ships at Dockyard and St. George's and come to the capital to spend money. Other retailers believe it could have a devastating impact on sales.Ask the Secretary of the Corporation of Hamilton for current:
1973. November. Hamilton's container dock # 8, and an extension of container dock # 7, were officially opened.
Front Street. For more information, including other ferries going to Paget and Warwick, see Bermuda Transportation for Visitors. Near the bus stop. Ferries are owned, operated and staffed by the Department of Marine and Ports Services of the Bermuda Government. Ferries are for passengers, bicycles, scooters & mopeds. The new fast catamaran ferries "Serenity" and "Resolute" are accessible to the disabled - note the slight step for a wheelchair and note below - and have bathrooms. They take local commuters and visitors to and from the western Parishes and, once or twice weekly during the tourist season, to and from the town of St. George.
On Front Street at the junction with Burnaby Hill. A Hamilton landmark for over a century. The focal point for local parades and ceremonies such as the Queen's Birthday parade by the Bermuda Regiment (of 75% conscripted soldiers), with a permanent reviewing stand at its base. It is the tallest of all Bermuda's flagstaffs.
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Cruise ships tie up opposite here, the main shopping area. The ferry terminal, parade area, banks, liquor stores, stores like Cooper's (Bermuda's flagship retail store now that Trimingham's and Smith's have disappeared, closed down for good in 2005), restaurants and taverns and more are nearby. Unlike in other jurisdictions, branches of prominent American, British, Canadian or other stores are not allowed. Note the distinctive colonial architecture. Import duty rates imposed by the Bermuda Government average 30 per cent at wholesale, which mean retail costs are much higher. As a result, only a few stores can offer prices comparable to those in the USA. |
Church Street at Parliament Street, opposite the Sessions House. Bermuda's main post office. Owned and operated by the Bermuda Government. It operates Monday-Friday, except Public Holidays. Postage stamps can be bought and mail can be sent from here. Philatelists can order, or get on a mailing list for, details of Bermuda stamps or First Day Covers. Visitors from North America and United Kingdom should note post offices in Bermuda currently lack many of the services offered by the UK Post Office - such as home phone services at reduced cost, travel arrangements, payment of licenses, parcels' preparation boxes and stationary, etc. It is from the General Post Office that two Bermuda Government-owned and operated courier services operate. One is the Government Courier Service which handles general mail between Government departments. The other is the Diplomatic Courier Service, which concerns itself only with highly sensitive Government documents.
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Every working day, or by
appointment, these lovely, old fashioned "Surreys with the fringes on the top,"
are available for hire by visitors. They congregate on Front Street, next to the No. 1
Cruise ship Passenger Terminal. Drivers usually wear pith helmets. But
for special occasions like honeymoon rides or for Bermuda weddings when they carry the
bride and her father, they will rise to the occasion with top hats and tuxedo.
For casual rides, they provide a running commentary on city sights. Horses must wear diapers. They are slow, pleasant ways to take a tour of the city when traffic is light but are not recommended when traffic is heavy. There's a published fare structure, quite expensive. En sure your handbag or other valuables are not visible from the road. |
See Sessions House.
See Bermuda Laws.
Parliament Street. They are in the
Judicial Department of the Bermuda Government and include the Attorney General,
Solicitor General, Director of Prosecutions, Chief Justice, Assistant
Justice, Puisne Judge,
magistrates and
support staff. They include Magistrates
Courts, Supreme Court and Court of Appeal. They and the Law Library are at telephone
(441) 292-1350. The Judiciary is paid for 100% by the Bermuda Government,
is on its payroll and is therefore not independent of the government. The Registry of the Supreme Court is at 113 Front Street,
Hamilton HM 11. Magistrates Courts are on Parliament Street, in the Old Post
Office, at telephone (441) 295-5151 extension 1230. The Supreme Court and
Court of Appeal are at Sessions House on Parliament Street. The Supreme Court,
was originally with three, now has four and will accept to five Justices. Most
are not Bermudian, has ceremonial occasions. The Chief Justice and other officers of the Court wear wigs and gowns.
The Court of Appeal has boosted its numbers from 5 to 6. Courts are open to the public on weekdays when in session. Session days
and jury selection days are posted. Under the Jurors Act 1971, a
list of those eligible for jury duty is published periodically. Some are
excluded from jury duty, for example if they are or were police or reserve
police members.
Queen Street, at the junction
with Reid Street. It was restored by the Bermuda Government, which owns and
operates it, as a branch post office of
the General Post Office in 1959, the year of the 350th anniversary of the
settlement of Bermuda by the British. Adjacent to Par-la-Ville Park, named after William B.
Perot who once owned it. Open Mondays to Fridays from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Since
1842, small but of great historical and philatelic significance. Perot,
nineteenth century first Postmaster of the city and Assemblyman of French
Huguenot extraction, hand printed Bermuda's first postage stamp from here in 1848 and produced
the second British Empire "colonial" stamp. One was sold in November, 1985, for
$92,000. A photograph of the famous stamp is on display inside. Perot built his home
adjacent, in the building now housing the Bermuda Historical Society, next to the Bermuda National Library.
He ran this little post office on the edge of his estate until 1862 when he
retired. Thanks entirely to him,
Bermuda was the second - not the first as is alleged locally - British colony
(after Mauritius, with its 1847 Penny Red and Two Pence Blue stamps) to have its
own stamps. Perot also inaugurated the first house-to-house delivery of mail in
Hamilton. He
was married to the former Susanna Butterfield Granbery Stowe and fathered 11
children, nine of whom survived. His portrait, and that of his wife, in the
possession of the Bermuda Historical Society, are on each side of the main
doorway of the Library and Society's Par-la-Ville building as you exit.
Photo: Keith A. Forbes
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This famous city landmark is on Reid
Street. It was first imported from Boston, Massachusetts, in 1893 by merchant Duncan Doe,
a watchmaker and jeweler at 59 Front Street (at Chancery Lane). He advertised his craft
via the ornate timepiece. It has been owned by the local Phoenix group of pharmacies for
decades.
For years, it was located on Queen Street before it was relocated to Reid Street. Apparently, its makers in Boston are still in business. |
See under "Toilets."
See Bermuda cuisine.
In
October 2007, the Corporation of Hamilton signed a ground lease with
Par-la-Ville Hotel & Residences Ltd. to develop a five-star, multi-million
Ritz-Carlton hotel, condominiums and underground parking on the Par-la-Ville car
park site.
The previously submitted plan was approved to build a US$ multi-million Ritz-Carlton Hotel at what is presently Par-La-Ville car park, creating 330 new jobs and injecting $200 million into the economy. It will have street level boutique shops along Church Street and Par-La-Ville Road, 150 guest rooms and suites and a further 60 luxury residential apartments including roof top gardens and a swimming pool.
With its prime position in the centre of Hamilton’s financial district and directly across the road from the Bermuda Stock Exchange, it is anticipated the hotel will attract a high proportion of business clientele. There will be landscaped grounds to the rear and a 20,000 sq ft underground conference hall – another tilt at the corporate and business market that will be key to the success of the venture, which is being pitched as a business hotel and residence. Two “world class restaurants” are to be included – on the top floor a lounge and grill would look out from one corner, enjoying commanding views towards City Hall and the heart of the Hamilton. Backers of the ambitious idea are headed on the Island by United Resorts Inc.
The idea of building a hotel on the car park at the corner of Church Street and Par-La-Ville has been in existence for years but has suffered a number of stalled efforts despite speculative interests previously. In the latest proposal the hotel would be 135ft high with seven floors above ground level and incorporating features within the roof space. It would have three levels of underground parking for 500 cars, a central outdoor courtyard and a small amphitheatre and fountain area at the rear that links to the Par-La-Ville public park. The Corporation of Hamilton has extended the developers’ exclusivity period for the site. The developers are eager to move forward and the planning process has been speeded up. The project follows guidelines prepared by former Tourism Minister and now Premier Ewart Brown and the Corporation of Hamilton’s development brief. The Par-La-Ville public park would be extended slightly northwards in “overpasses” to the hotel and connect directly to the hotel’s courtyard. There would be 15,000 square feet of shops and the 60 apartments, varying in size between one, two and three-bedrooms, would be for sale to Bermudians and non-Bermudians. It will be the first development to break the city’s seven-storey limit for buildings. A special development order (SDO) was approved by Government for the nine-storey hotel, which would set a new standard for the most storeys within the city limits. By a matter of feet the proposed hotel will comply with a strict rule that no building challenge the overall dominance of the Anglican Cathedral in the city skyline. Ground-breaking is anticipated to begin soon. Bermuda has not had a new hotel for 35 years.
Two views of Royal Bermuda Yacht Club
Albuoy's Point. Telephone 295 2214 or fax 295 6361. This private, internationally known sailing club applied in July 2008 for permission for a seven-storey building where the present clubhouse resides. It has been housed at this Hamilton property since 1933. The application was just one of many options the club is considering. The RBYC was established in November, 1844 by 30 men, many in the British Army and Royal Navy Both had active yachtsmen posted to Bermuda. In 1845 a British peer, Lord Mark Kerr, then a captain in the 20th Regiment of the British Army, became the club's first commodore. The club first met in the Town of St. George and moved later to this town - before it became a city. In about 1998 the club spent almost $2.5 million to add around 100 new moorings at the club to the previous 25. Currently, if you are an international member, or friend of a local member and a yachtsman or women and can qualify in other respects too, you can both stay and eat here at club rates. See many yachts moored, especially after one of the famous annual ocean races involving over 160 ocean-going yachts. It is the host for many other sailing events.
The City
of Hamilton, a port city, is the capital and administrative,
commercial, entertainment and shopping center of Bermuda. As Bermuda's
principal seaport, located in Hamilton Harbour, it has a constant
clientele of freighters, cruise ships, yachts, government-owned ferries
and other marine craft. It is named after Henry Hamilton (see
image, right). He was British Lieutenant Governor and
then full Governor here from 1788 to 1794 and got this municipality started. He
was born in
Dublin, Ireland, in 1734, as the fourth of seven children. His great grandfather was Sir Frederick Hamilton, Baron Paisley and
Governor of Ulster, a position which necessitated a change of residence from
Scotland to Ireland for the
family and resulted in Henry's birth a century later.
Henry's grandfather, Gustavus
Hamilton, had a distinguished military career, was raised to the King's Privy
Council and became Viscount Boyne in the Irish peerage. Henry's father was the
third son of Viscount Boyle, a member of the Irish Parliament and Collector
of the port of Queenstown (now Cork). Henry spent his youth in Cork. He was commissioned
into the 15th Regiment of Foot in the British Army. He earned
distinction in British victories at the battles of Louisburg and Quebec in the
Seven Years War (French and
Indian War in the USA).
