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Bermuda's Warwick Parish

Exploring this county between Southampton and Paget Parishes

line drawing

By Keith Archibald Forbes (see About Us) exclusively for Bermuda Online

To refer to this web file, please use "bermuda-online.org/seewark.htm" as your Subject.

Accommodation

Recommended hotels are shown in bold. Some have the facilities shown by the following symbols. Hotels shown with 5-2 Stars reflect the symbols shown on Expedia.com

Symbols

5 Star - 5 Star hotel 4 Star- 4 Star hotel 3 Star - 3 Star hotel 2 Star - 2 Star hotel

Other symbols

Business center- business center  facilities- business facilities ship view - Ship view Dining - dining
Disabled - disabled access Fitness - fitness Golf course - golf course Meeting room - meeting room
Pool - pool public buses - public buses public ferries - public ferries Shopping- shopping
walking area - walking area

Introduction

Warwick Parish

Warwick Parish's crest, from that of the 2nd Earl of Warwick

The Bermuda Government appoints a Parish Council for each Parish. The chairperson or members of each will give further information about the crest to students and others, including meaning of the motto. 

Warwick Parish on Main Island is the same size of 2.3055 square miles as the other eight parishes. It was named after one of Bermuda's Elizabethan patrons, Robert Rich, second Earl of Warwick (1587-1658). A colonial administrator and admiral, he was the eldest son of Robert Rich, earl of Warwick and his wife Penelope Rich and succeeded to the title in 1619. He was the largest original shareholder in Warwick Tribe, later Parish. This association with the central English county and town of Warwick is overlooked by visitors unless they are from Warwickshire in England or Warwick in Rhode Island, USA. It is why the Earls of Warwick were so titled.

When young, this Earl of Warwick was decorative. Later, he was heavily involved in colonial ventures early in his career, joining the Bermudas, Guinea, New England and Virginia companies. His enterprises involved him in disputes with the East India Company (1617) and with the Virginia Company, which in 1624 was suppressed through his action. In 1628 he sailed with other privateers and commanded an unsuccessful privateering expedition against the Spaniards. His Puritan connections and sympathies, while gradually estranging him from the court, promoted his association with the New England colonies. In 1628 he indirectly procured the patent for the Massachusetts colony and granted the " Saybrook " patent of Connecticut in 1631. Compelled the same year to resign the presidency of the New England Company, he continued to manage the Bermudas and Providence Companies, the latter of which, founded in 1630, administered Old Providence on the Mosquito coast. Meanwhile in England Warwick opposed the forced loan of 1626, the payment of ship-money and Laud's church policy.

A decade later, the Earl was approached by Samuel Gorton and his followers in an attempt to establish their own colony in lands south of Providence, Rhode Island called Shawomet. Gorton had wanted the Massachusetts Bay Colony to stop its encroachments against him and his followers, and lobbied heavily to the "Governor in Chiefe and Lord High Admiral of the English Plantations in America" for the establishment of a town charter for Shawomet. Rich ruled in Gorton's favor, and, in return, Gorton renamed the town Warwick.

After the accession of King Charles, he became a puritan and joined the Parliamentary opposition. His condemnation of illegal taxation led to his imprisonment. In the Civil War, he was a Captain General of the Parliament's Armies and was responsible for the Royal Navy declaring against the King. A friend of Oliver Cromwell, he died in 1658 mourned by the Lord Protector.

About the Parish

Because the Earl of Warwick never visited, early settlers had their own pet name for the Tribe. They called it Heron Bay because it then had significance to shipping and many herons congregated there. 

Then, settlers didn't swim, so the northern side of the Parish was more important than the south. 

Today, there's no area of the Parish with Heron Bay as part of the name. Only in Southampton Parish is there a school and shopping area carrying the name. 

Nowadays, Warwick Parish is famous for its spectacular South Shore beaches. It is also one of the most densely populated of Bermuda's nine parishes. The islands in the Great Sound north of the mainland are shown as islands in Bermuda National Parks below.

Warwick Parish

Constituencies

Astwood Cove & Park

Bermuda Longtail (frigate bird) Number 12 on your free listing of Bermuda National Parks and Reserves. Also on the South Shore, at Rocklands Road. A superb beach for the able-bodied but with steep cliffs, sightings of Bermuda's national bird the longtail (frigate bird, pictured) in season - and open spaces. Picnic tables, parking and toilets are included. The park is a great place to observe the annual great migration of seabirds. Bermuda is in the broad northbound migration route used by many species including terns, jaegers, shear waters and storm petrels. 

Some come from as afar as the Antarctic. The best months of the year to watch these birds are February through July. Like with all other Warwick beaches, the # 7 bus route stops on the South Road nearby.

Bermuda National Parks

Separately named and numbered on a free Bermuda National Parks and Reserves map, available from a Visitor's Service Bureau.

Bermuda Railway Trail

Bermuda Riding for Disabled

57 Spice Hill Road. Windreach Village, Warwick, Monday-Friday riding therapy for children with special needs. Telephone 238 7433 or fax 238 7434 or email brd@ibl.bm. Superb facility.

Bus routespublic buses

Visitors and new residents who use the Bermuda Government pink and blue buses should always first obtain a free copy of the schedule, to know when the service operates, when it stops and what fares apply.

Chaplin Estate

An estate named after Charles Chaplin, Lady Oona Chaplin (daughter of dramatist Eugene O'Neill) -  and their family who once owned the Chaplin Estate in this parish, including Chaplin Bay beach partly in both parishes. After Chaplin died, his widow - some say she was born in Bermuda but this has not been proved -  asked for special environmental protection (Zone 34) to protect woodland in return for allowing her to subdivide her estate for homes to be built in the 1990s.

Christ Churchpublic buses

Christ Church

On Middle Road, opposite the Belmont Golf Course. The # 8 bus stops on the Middle Road nearby. Now a Scottish Presbyterian church - Church of Scotland - but built in 1719 as an independent Presbyterian church. It is one of the oldest Presbyterian churches in the Western Hemisphere. On Sundays, morning service is at 8 am and 11 am. A glossy 180 page paperback, available from the church after Sunday service, titled "Presbyterians in Bermuda" covers 1609 to 1984. The pulpit and old churchyard are interesting. It tells of what was Warwick Presbyterian Church before it became Christ Church, written by Joseph H. S. Frith, then an Elder, and edited by the Rev. A. B. Cameron, DD. and published in 1911, in Edinburgh, Scotland, by the Darien Press. From 1745 when the main house there was built, Ministers of Christ Church lived there on Southlands estate. During the late 1700s, when Warwick Academy fell into disrepair, the ministers taught the pupils at Southlands.

Photo by author Keith A. Forbes

Cobb's Hill Methodist Church

Cobb's Hill. Phone 236-8586. A stop on the African Diaspora Heritage Trail. Built in the 1800s by free blacks and former slaves.

Ferry stopsship viewpublic ferries

Visitors and new residents who use the ferry service should always first obtain a free copy of the schedule, to know when the service operates, when it stops and what fares apply.

Food storespublic busesShopping

Cheese In the Parish, Lindo's Family Foods, at Middle Road, Warwick, phone 236-1344; White's Supermarket (established 1924) at 22 Middle Road, Warwick West, phone  238-1050 and the latter's Hayward's Supermarket at 49 Middle Road, phone 236-8610, have full service grocery stores on bus route 8 which will drop you nearby. Ask about reduced Sunday hours.

Food prices

Fresh fruit Be prepared and budget in advance for Bermuda prices. Most visitors have no idea food shopping is so expensive. What a couple can buy in the USA to last them for a week will be less expensive than buying food in Bermuda for two days. 

The good news is that the stores above are open every day (call to check times) including Sunday (from 1 pm to 5 pm). They are not as expensive as convenience stores. Liquor cannot be bought on Sunday.

Golf CoursesGolf courseDiningpublic buses

This web site shows all those in Bermuda. Those actually in this Parish are shown below.

Belmont Golf Courseship view

97 Middle Road, WK 09. Telephone (441) 236-6400 or 236-1301 extension 7951. Fax (441) 236-6867. E-mail alex.belmont@ibl.bm. Golf professional is Alex Madeiros. Under the management of Belmont Golf Course Management Ltd, owned by Richard Halsey. It has an 18 hole par 70 course. Facilities include a pro shop, snack bar and restaurant. A periodic Golf Special including green fees and cart is from Monday to Friday for tee times from 2:00 pm. The course closed in January 2002 for up to 15 months, for very extensive renovations described below.  Belmont Golf

Photograph: Government Information Services, Bermuda

It will become a slightly longer - from its former 5,777 to slightly over 6,000 yards - more challenging, less hazardous and more attractive course. After draft plans for the revamp by corporate organizations owned by Greg Norman and Jack Nicklaus were both rejected, one by Californian Algie Pulley was accepted. Pulley had earlier carried out improvements at the former Castle Harbour course. This one will have greens made faster by Tiff-Eagle sprigs, fairways made more lush by an irrigation system and two man-made lakes separated by a waterfall which will help facilitate both the irrigation and possibly a sewage treatment plant. The lakes, in an area between holes 2, 7 and 8, might become a centerpiece. The intention is to steer golfers away from residential areas which have long given Belmont its biggest headache. To reduce the hazards, the current par-3 fourth, where players in the past have often sliced right into adjacent houses, is being eliminated and the eighth, were balls were often sent into Warwick Villas to the right, will also undergo a change of direction. 

Holes 1 and 2 will remain much the same but the third will dog-leg up towards a new green just below the existing 4th green. The original 5th hole will become the 4th and the original 6th the 5th, with a new green further to the left than before. The original 7th will become a new par-five 6th winding its way through the lakes, where the  7th will be a new par-3. Rather than a dog-leg, the 8th will be short, tight and straight and 9th almost the same but with the green moved slightly to the left with a new clubhouse to be built to the left it The 10th will be the present 15th and 11th where the 14th was. Each will have new greens. The present par-5 10th will become an even longer 12th, with a new green on the original 11th fairway. The 11th will become the 13th, a straight par four over the existing "Ian Crowe" lake.

With safety in mind, the old 12th will become the 14th, directed away from houses to the right. The 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th will remain much as they are, except the 16th will have a new green 30 feet to the left to take play away from homes on Belmont Road. Rubble taken from the demolition of the old hotel will be used to fill in the large hollow on the 18th, long considered the most unfair of the golf course. With protected caves underneath the fairway, decisions have to be taken on how best to level out the land. There is an emphasis on getting the greens done as quickly as possible, to meet the spring or early summer 2003 re-opening date.

Riddle's Bay Golf & Country Club

Riddell's Bay Road, Warwick Parish WK 04. or P. O. Box WK 236, Warwick, WK BX. Telephone (441) 238-1060 or (441) 238-3225 for starting time. Fax (441) 238-8785. General Manager is Sara Masters. The club opened in 1922. The course was designed by Deveraux Emmett (who also designed the Congressional Golf Club near Washington, DC). Privately owned, an introduction from a member is required for non-members. This was Bermuda's first 18 hole course, now par 69 over 5,588 yards.  Ridell's Bay Golf

Photograph: Government Information Services, Bermuda

With a bar and restaurant. On a peninsula, the first hole is the most difficult in Bermuda. 

It is the only golf club in Bermuda where all the golf carts are electric. They switched in May 2001 but the decision was made in 1997 when the club imported its first electric cart. The new carts are quieter than gas carts, more cost effective and easier to maintain. They are guaranteed to run on a single charge for a minimum of 36 holes for the first three years and have the ability to run for a maximum of 72 holes per charge.

Grand Atlantic Resort and Residences (proposed)

On June 18 2007, a Special Development Order was granted for a 220-suite hotel to be built — very close to the proposed Southlands development. It will be on a 13.1 acre plot of land south of South Road that is bordered on its eastern side by Astwood Walk and the Warwick gas station and stretches westward just beyond the bend in South Road where it junctions with Dunscombe Road. A proposed new five-star beach hotel and spa resort has approved as a Special Development Order and when built will rise nine storeys to offer guests spectacular views across the South Shore. The landmark 220-suite hotel will not stand alone but be accompanied by some five- or six-storey buildings offering luxury fractional and residential apartments and a number of seafront luxury villas. Presently, the plot of land houses a derelict former beach bar - the old Bermudiana Hotel facility of the 1960s - a long-abandoned former restaurant the Golden Hind and a number of old buildings. They have all been earmarked for the project which has been put forward by Atlantic Development. 

The project includes a community swimming pool and a jogging trail, as well as new staff accommodation. In the plans the hotel will rise nine storeys with 220 rooms offering a maximum total of 706 beds, including a six-bedroom penthouse suite. There will also be two five-storey high blocks of 20 two-bedroom fractional ownership apartments, five three-bedroom villas, 20 three-bedroom units in two-storey blocks and 22 two-bedroom and ten one-bedroom units. Also foreseen is a twin two-storey retail area on an approach road to the hotel and resort. The hotel is to feature terrace and dining room restaurants, a beach bar and grill terrace, lounge bar, ballroom, swimming pool, spa, fitness centre and roof top tennis courts.

Harbour Roadship view

This is a sightseeing treat loaded with marvelous seascapes. Buses don't service it because it is too narrow and twisting. Don't select the morning and evening rush hours for any moped tour but a time of day when traffic is lighter. Your reward will be views of Darrell's Island with Burt Island behind it, the sweeping panorama of Granaway Deep, the Belmont Ferry stop on the left, also Hinson's Island with Marshall and Watling Island behind it, then Darrell's Wharf on the mainland before Cobb's Hill Road. This marks the boundary on Harbor Road between Warwick Parish and Paget Parish.

Islands in the Parishship view

All are in the Great Sound, a body of water north of the mainland of this Parish. These are the most prominent.

Alpha 100 yards southwest of Hawkins Island, Hamilton Harbor.
Beta Great Sound
Bluck's Also Denslow's or Dyer's. Great Sound.
Burt Warwick Parish. (Warwick North Central constituency). Also Moses, Murderer's, Skeeter's. 7.75 acres, Granaway Deep, Great Sound. Not accessible by ferry, only to those with a boat. Number 14 on Government listing of Bermuda National Parks and Reserves. 

Darrell's

Original Pan American World Airways Darrell's. Warwick Parish. (Warwick North Central constituency). Not accessible by ferry, owned by the Bermuda Government. See it from western Harbor Road. This 15 acre island in the Great Sound has a unique history. It was once a quarantine station for epidemics in 1699, 1796 and 1799 of small pox, yellow fever and cholera. 
Cavalier at Bermuda It was a designated prisoner of war Island Camp during the 1901-1903 Boer War. Its 1,100 involuntary inhabitants  shipped to Bermuda from South Africa to isolate them included Generals of the Boer Army. Many of these prisoners of war died in Bermuda. A memorial to them is on Long Island not far away. In 1936, the island was a purpose built maintenance, refueling station and terminal for flying boats of Pan American and Imperial Airways. 

It pioneered scheduled USA to Bermuda flying routes. It was Bermuda's first permanent facility for any kind of aircraft. On May 25, 1937 the Imperial Airways' Short Empire C class flying boat RMA Cavalier took off from the unofficially opened and not quite finished Darrell's Island Marine Air Terminal in the Great Sound, for New York.

At the same time, the Pan American Airways' Sikorsky S-42, code of NC 16735, by then renamed by Mrs. Trippe as Bermuda Clipper, also flew from Port Washington, NY to Bermuda. She did a successful reciprocal survey of the route. On June 12, 1937 the million dollar terminal building at Darrell's Island Airport was formally opened. Bermuda become THE mid Atlantic seaplane and flying boat airport base and resort. It was also the date of the inaugural flights of the Cavalier and Bermuda Clipper. Both landed safely. Both flying boats took off from Port Washington, New York. RMA Cavalier was commanded by Capt. Neville Cumming, with co-pilot First Officer Neil Richardson, radio engineer Patrick Chapman, and steward Robert Spence.

Cavalier in Bermuda Bermuda Clipper was commanded by Capt. R. O. D. Sullivan. Passengers on this particular flight included Mr. John Barritt of John Barritt & Son Mineral Water Company; Major Neville, a staff officer at Admiralty House; Mr. E. P. T. Tucker, General Manager of John S. Darrell & Co.; Mr. E. R. Williams of J. E. Lightbourn & Co. (who later became a Mayor of Hamilton); Mr. H. B. L. Wilkinson, of Bailey's Bay; Miss Minna Smith, a nurse at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital; Mr. Terry Mowbray, Sports Director of the Bermuda Trade Development Board; Mr. & Mrs. Richard Scott of Boston, returning from their honeymoon in Bermuda; and Mr. Eugene Kelly, Mrs. Alice James and Mrs. John Fullarton, all of New York.

Later, in support of the two airlines and in anticipation of much more communications traffic, the West India and Panama Telegraph Company Ltd - in conjunction with Britain's Imperial & International Communications - installed an internal teleprinter system between the airlines' offices and the Air to Ground station.

Darrell's Island served in a similar capacity for Royal Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force and US Army Air Force flying boats during World War 2. During the war, American use of Bermuda as a military base caused their desertion of this island for the land based airport they built. From June 1954 for several years, the island was used as a film studio location. The old flying boat hanger was demolished in 1974. Then it became a residential island. Most of it later got taken over by the Bermuda Government. Nowadays, part of the island - Darrell's Island West - is the Allen Camp, operated by the African Methodist Episcopal Churches, at telephone 234-0433.

Delta A small island in the Great Sound, north of Burt Island and directly south of Nelly Island, between Gamma and Epsilon. Not accessible by ferry, only to those with a boat.
Epsilon Very small, south west of Port's.
Eta Not accessible by ferry, only to those with a boat. During the Boer War, prisoners of war on work parties crossed from Port's to Long and the other way around via a wooden footbridge on this island. Privately owned.
Fern Warwick Parish. (Warwick North Central constituency). Also known as Sin, Hamilton Harbour.
Gamma Warwick Parish. (Warwick North Central constituency). A mere dot, South of Nelly Island.
Grace Also known as Robbins, 5.9 acres, Great Sound, Warwick Parish. Owned by Bermudian millionaire and philanthropist Mr. Fernance Perry, who has the Grace Island Trust. Birds such as the blue heron make it their home. There is a now a Christian camping site in facilities finished in 2000, the Word of Life Summer Teen Camp, in part of every August. Contact it at (441) 234-4648 or e-mail wolbda@ibl.bm.
Hawkins Warwick Parish. (Warwick North Central constituency). Originally Elizabeth's or Tatem. 5 acres. Great Sound. It was re-named after the Royal Navy bought it in 1809. It is not a National Park because it is now privately owned. It's not easily seen in the Great Sound because it is the most easterly of the large group of islands stretching across the center, well hidden behind Darrell's, Burt's, Delta, Gamma, and Beta Islands. It was a Boer War prisoner of war camp from 1901 to 1902. It housed as many as 1,300 prisoners in bell tents. There is no ferry service or public access. But Bermuda Island Cruises call there several days a week with a US$79 entertainment and dining package per person.
Iota Not accessible by ferry, only to those with a boat. Privately owned.
Kappa Not accessible by ferry, only to those with a boat. Privately owned. Now joined to Long Island. Kappa Rock lies between Hawkins and Long Islands.
Lambda Great Sound, north west of Hawkin's and between it and Omega.
Long Warwick Parish. (Warwick North Central constituency). Once known as Sheep, in that part of the Great Sound known as Paradise Lake. Historically important. Not accessible by ferry, only to those with a boat. It was a designated prisoner of war Island Camp during the Boer War in 1901 to 1902. Its 1,100 involuntary inhabitants shipped to Bermuda from South Africa to isolate them from their homeland included Generals of the Boer Army. There's a poignant stone memorial to them this island where 40 died and were buried. An official from the government of South Africa visited here in 1998. Among the distinguished visitors to the Boer Cemetery have been current South African President Thabo Mbeki and former President F.W de Klerk. Mr, Mbeki was in Bermuda for secret talks with South African political opponents in 1989 and had traveled from his exile base in Tanzania. Mr. de Klerk visited in 1997. On May 1, 2000, Dr. Nina de Klerk, sister in law of former South African President F. W. de Klerk, visited the island. Her family was actively involved in the Boer War. Prominent Bermudian businesspeople have private cottages or land on the island.
Marshall's Warwick Parish (Warwick North Central constituency). Privately owned, residential. A large double island, between Hinson's and Long Islands. Its two parts are linked by a narrow isthmus. It was one of the islands purchased in 1809 by the British Admiralty for the Royal Navy. Now owned by Bermuda-based businessman Peter Green.
Nelly Number 15 on your free listing of Bermuda National Parks and Reserves. Not accessible by ferry, only to those with a boat. Great Sound, south of Hawkin's and adjacent to Long. Privately owned.
Ports 20 acres. South of Long Island, Great Sound. Not accessible by ferry, only to those with a boat. Privately owned. Historically important. In 1692, after yellow fever first arrived from the Caribbean and killed 800 people - 10 percent of the entire population at that time - this was the first island used to isolate them after their pets were killed. Yellow fever came to the colony many times. A yellow fever cemetery is still here. Prisoners of war were held in isolation here during the War of 1812 to 1814, Boer War of 1901 to 1902 and World War 1.
Pearl Great Sound.
Rickets Between Burt's & Grace Islands, Great Sound.
Theta Not accessible by ferry, only to those with a boat. Privately owned. Between Marshall's and Long Islands in the Great Sound.
Watling One-property residential, near Hinson's and Bluck's in the Great Sound.
Zeta Warwick Parish. (Warwick North Central constituency). 1.5 acres, south of Port's, Great Sound. It is named for the sixth letter of the Greek alphabet.

Khyber Passpublic buses

Stone cuttingIt got its name from when the Second Battalion, 56th Regiment (West Essex) was based in Bermuda. This is the regiment the First Battalion of which was virtually annihilated in 1841 at the Kyber Pass in Afghanistan after a disastrous retreat from Kabul. The lone survivor was the surgeon, Doctor Brydon, who was half dead when he reached Jallabalad with the news. So when the recomposed regiment reached Bermuda, its first overseas posting afterwards, its military reputation ensured that several areas of Warwick Parish - Kyber Pass itself plus Kyber Heights Lane, Kyber Heights Road and Kyber Pass Road - and a street in the old town of St. George, near Fort George - got named after Kyber Pass.

Stone cutting at Khyber Pass. As portrayed on a Bermuda Postage stamp.

Sadly, the Second Battalion also fared badly in Bermuda. In 1853, nearly 230 of its officers and men died in Bermuda from Yellow Fever. Kyber Pass in Bermuda is a large limestone quarry near the local section of the Bermuda Railroad Trail. Once it was a principal site for Bermuda stone for homes and other buildings. Its upper cliff patterns were formed mostly by tools of the hand-held variety. The lower patterns were formed by stone cutting machinery. Most of the older buildings still around today were built with Bermuda limestone cut by a long hand saw pushed and pulled by two people and then carried away by a horse drawn cart from this very quarry. Nowadays, Bermuda limestone blocks are very expensive. Concrete blocks are cheaper.

Longford Road

Named after the house by that name on the road, which in turn is named after a very pleasant town in the center of Ireland (Republic of). Of interest for both reasons. The road itself connects Middle Road with Harbour Road.

Owner of Longford House since 2001 is film star Michael Douglas, a full-time Bermuda resident since 2002. He is is American-born (mother, the former actress Diana Dill Webster (formerly Darrid), is Bermudian). He is a prominent film star, actor and producer, 62 in late September 2006. He won his brace of Oscars for performing in Wall Street and producing 1975's One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. His wife is the beautiful and talented actress and prominent film star, Welsh-born Catherine Zeta Jones, 37 in 2006. She was brought up in a small, mostly Catholic, Welsh coastal fishing village and has a Catholic repugnance to divorce. Michael Douglas and his brother Joel in the USA are the sons of Kirk Douglas and the former Diana Dill Webster (formerly Darrid). His grandfather Colonel Thomas Dill was Bermuda's Attorney General. They are the half brothers of Eric and Peter Douglas by Kirk Douglas and his later wife, Anne Buydens. Michael had his first birthday in Bermuda. Eric is an actor and comedian and Joel and Peter are producers. Before his marriage to Catherine, Michael Douglas was married for 18 years to producer Diandra Douglas, with whom he had a son, Cameron Douglas, an actor. There were reports the divorce cost him more than $60 million. He and wife Catherine became engaged in January 2000,  had a son, Dylan, in August, 2000, got married three months later in New York and now also have a daughter, Carys  Zeta, born in April, 2003. Michael Douglas is a founding member of the 20/20 Club (film stars who can command £20 million per movie and 20% of box office and merchandizing takings. The former Diana Dill, now remarried to a former US State Department executive, wrote a most interesting autobiography, including references to Kirk Douglas. (UK's Daily Express, page 40, October 2, 2003). Michael Douglas, despite Bermuda being his main address, is the official "face" for Majorca tourism - a major Bermuda competitor - from 2004 to 2008, in return for the Majorcan government bailing him out of a £3 million investment he made in Majorca's loss-making tourist enterprise, the Costa Nord theatre. He has a holiday home in Majorca.

Michael Douglas has a son, Cameron, by a previous marriage. After his mother and father divorced, Michael Douglas lived for a time on the US East Coast and received an allowance from his mother and step father, William Darrid. Diana Dill Webster's family has lived in Bermuda since the 17th century but her primary home is in California. When in Bermuda, she uses a cottage here at Ariel Sands. The family also owns the Brighton Hill Nursery across the street and up the hill to the right. Another owner was Laurence Dill, who died in late November 2000 at the age of 91. He lived in an historic private home, "Belhaven" in Devonshire, south east of Brighton Hill Nursery. He was an uncle of Michael Douglas. He was a talented local composer and pianist. 

Middle Roadpublic buses

The Warwick Parish section of this main road, from west to east, starts just east of the junction with Camp Hill Road and the Heron Bay Plaza. It has many interesting attributes, showing off much of typical urban, suburban and rural Bermuda. It's the only complete Parish stretch of any main road in Bermuda that is completely inland, meaning you won't see any views of open water once you start out from the westernmost point near Camp Hill Road. You'll pass Burnt House Hill on your left, St. Anthony's Roman Catholic Church on your right, a trio of interesting residential side streets on your left, St. Mary's Parish church on your left, Warwick Pond on your right, the Belmont Golf Course on your left, Christ Church on your right, and more of the Belmont Golf Course on your right. Eventually, you'll pass Warwick Academy on your left and come to Amen Corner (the junction with Cobb's Hill Road). This marks the boundary between Warwick Parish and Paget Parish. The # 8 bus route services the entire Warwick Parish area of Middle Road.

Paradise Lakeship view

It's that body of water surrounded by Long Island, Theta Island, Eta Island, Port's Island, Iota Island, Nelly Island and Kappa Island, in the Great Sound. There is no scheduled ferry trip to Paradise Lake for visitors, to take in the sights and see the historical monument on Long Island dedicated to the Boer War prisoners of war who died in captivity in Bermuda. It is a beautiful but eerie site. However, if you're adventurous and up to renting a motor or sail boat, explore this exceptional marine area. Take a picnic.

Restaurants in the ParishDining

See Bermuda Cuisine

Those in this Parish are

Riddell's Bay

Riddell's Bay For golfers, it is exceptional. 

But others are also urged to visit.  

The # 8 bus will drop you at nearby Heron Bay Plaza for superb views and seascapes. 

Take Riddell's Bay Road.

See the golf course on your right. 

Go left on Fairways Road for more superb views or continue on to Burgess Point Road. 

The islands to your right are Darrell's Island, Burt's Island and Rickett's Island.

Riddle's Bay at sunset. Photograph: Government Information Services, Bermuda

St. Mary the Virgin Anglican Churchpublic buses

On Middle Road, the historic Anglican or Episcopalian parish church. The Rector is Father Andrew Doughty, BD, AKC. E-mail adoughty@ibl.bm. The church has its own graveyard.

Spithead Houseship view

Homer's "Inland Water" It is to the left in this 1901 painting below, "Inland Water, Bermuda" by American artist Winslow Homer. On Harbor Road, overlooking the Great Sound and with British Bermudian architecture, this private home is not open to the public. 

It was built by one of Bermuda's most successful privateers, Hezekiah Frith. He hoarded booty from two stolen ships, kidnapped a young French woman, hid her from his wife - and stashed his wealth for his family to start a liquor store. She and Frith haunt the home. In the 1920s it was rented by  the dramatist Eugene O'Neill who lived here in alcoholic oblivion with his beloved Finn Mac Cool (eventually shot to death by a neighbor) and from 1956 by Sir Noel Coward. They wrote famous works here and hosted many of their friends from overseas. Until she died in late 2001 at the age of 86, the house was owned by Joy Bluck Waters. Now it is owned by her children and leased to Colonel Sumner Waters.

Southlands

Southlands Estate BeachSouthlands woodland showing old quarriesThe 37 acre Southlands estate, the largest single estate now remaining in Bermuda, dates back to the eighteenth century.  It is wildly overgrown, historic and environmentally-sensitive with its old limestone-cutting quarries, woodland and  own beach. The main house was built in 1745 and inhabited by the Ministers of Christ Church in Warwick. During the late 1700s, when Warwick Academy fell into disrepair, the ministers taught the pupils at Southlands. Towards the end of the eighteenth century, Southlands became a limestone quarry. Much of the stone was used to build the City of Hamilton, which became the Island's capital in 1815. During the nineteenth century however, little is known about the estate. The next known owner, James Morgan, a Glaswegian, bought the land in 1911. Morgan (1846-1932) also bought up the adjoining properties, extending the estate to cover more than 80 acres. As the co-owner of Morgan's of Montreal with his brother Henry, he built up a successful business and the Canadian department store was seen as the Harrod's of its day. It was eventually sold to the Hudson Bay Company in 1960. Under Morgan's artistic eye, Southlands blossomed. He developed the estate into a wonderland of quarry gardens, exotic plant life, ponds, peacocks, aviaries and horses. Morgan filled in the holes left by the quarrying of the nineteenth century, creating ten ponds and surrounding pathways. He also extended the main house in 1913. The businessman was also a benefactor of Warwick Academy. His generosity (1918-1928) made possible the extension of buildings around a quadrangle area, which still remains the heart of the school. He also contributed towards an assembly hall (now the gymnasium) and a science laboratory. Morgan was a friend of headmaster Dr. Francis Landy Patton and encouraged students' gardening skills by providing them with plots in which to plant vegetables and flowers. Annual prizes were given to the plots showing the most originality. Morgan also donated a large sum to build Morgan's Hall. The road next to Warwick Academy, Morgan's Road, is named after him. The businessman also contributed to Bermuda's heritage by lobbying for legislation for residents to paint their roofs white. He was later offered a knighthood for his civic contributions, which he declined. James Morgan died in 1932 and was buried in the same mausoleum as his late wife, Anna E. Lyman Morgan of Connecticut (1847-1929), on the Southlands estate. The next owner of Southlands was Brigadier Dunbar Maconochie. He leveled out the beachfront and used it as a training ground for US soldiers, called the Southlands Anti-Aircraft School. In 1977 the Willowbank Foundation then purchased the property. They planned to build a retirement complex but after this failed to materialize, plans were put forward for 130 residential units amid the natural beauty of the grounds. After this proposal also failed to come to fruition, the Trustees of the Willowbank Foundation bought Southlands for $175,000,000 in 1976 but did not develop it and sold the estate to Southlands Ltd. in December 2005. Southlands Ltd.'s four key figures are businessmen Craig Christensen, Nelson Hunt, Brian Duperreault and wife Nancy. Until March 2008 it was planning a two-phase five-star hotel resort here. Now it has been agreed to build it instead at the former brownfield US Naval facility in Southampton Parish, as the Jumeirah Southlands five-star resort. It will be the first 'luxury' resort constructed on the Island for 35 years and will offer 590 full-time positions. With the Premier, Bermuda Department of Tourism and Bermuda Chamber of Commerce all very much in favor of the new hotel development, it was a foregone conclusion the plan would be approved. Premier Ewart Brown, Works and Engineering Minister Dennis Lister and Labour and Immigration Minister Derrick Burgess all emphasized the resort's importance to the future of tourism. The Special Development Order (SDO) granted bypassed all the environmental impact controls. The SDO was approved by Cabinet and rubber-stamped by Environment Minister Neletha Butterfield after the original Planning application was rejected by Planning officials.  

Southlands PlanSouthlands Ltd. say the price of a fractional suite, complete with butler, will range from $265,000 to $1.2 million. This buys you a one-sixth share in a 'Bermudian-style' villa, equating to eight weeks' holiday a year — or four fortnights. A total of 311 suites are planned, of which 135 will be sold as fractional vacation units. Developers are to build four blocks with 66 suites above the cliff face, overlooking the ocean. Two of the five-storey blocks will offer balcony suites for sale, with the remaining shared-ownership villas dotted around the perimeter of the Southlands estate. The remaining two cliff-top blocks will provide hotel suites for 497 beds, while the core guest accommodation will be set back on the estate. Four five-storey blocks are to be built in front of the main house, featuring balcony suites overlooking the ocean, and Belmont Hills Golf Club to the rear. Traffic along South Road will be diverted from the coastal road into a tunnel running beneath a land bridge which connects the north and south sections of the resort. The 17 two-storey beachfront suites — to be built into the cliff-face — will be reserved for hotel guests. In each hotel and fractional unit, architects Botelho Wood aim to combine traditional features such as Bermudian stonework with modern design. The extensive use of glass will provide scenic panoramas over the Atlantic Ocean. Guests of Jumeirah Southlands will be able to enjoy a 1,700 ft beachfront plus all the amenities of a five-star resort. An open air lobby is planned, while the spa will be subterranean in style, built underneath the ground at the rear of the main house. There will also be five restaurants and bars, a nightclub, equestrian centre, two swimming pools and a conference centre. Developers say they will retain the Quarry Gardens, Banyan trees and the main house in their natural state. The main house is an outstanding example of Bermudian architecture, dating back to 1745 and featuring three butteries. The mausoleum where former estate owner James Morgan (1846-1932) and his wife Anna E. Lyman Morgan (1847-1929) were buried will also remain intact. However, three of the seven farm cottages will be leveled. Southlands Ltd. plan to create walking trails through the maze-like Quarry Gardens, enabling visitors to ramble through a rich variety of flora and fauna, the two stone tunnels and ten ponds. 

South Roadpublic buses

It was first built by the British Army in the 1850s in its massive development of Bermuda before tourism became famous. You begin this scenic spectacle just a little west of Warwick Camp, the home of the Bermuda Regiment today. You'll have gorgeous views of the South Shore's Chaplin Bay, Stonehole Bay, Jobson's Cove, Warwick Long Bay (all part of the South Shore Park) and more. Special off road vantage points overlook the South Shore to park a rented moped and soak in the seascapes below, without impeding traffic. The road occasionally dips inland but you'll find even more to see as you continue as far as the junction with Cobb's Hill Road. This marks the boundary between Warwick Parish and Paget Parish. The # 7 bus route services the Warwick Parish stretch of the South Road.

South Shore Parkpublic buses

Beach introductionHas some of Bermuda's choicest beaches. This is the entire stretch of the South Shore beaches, park and trails area stretching from Horseshoe Bay in Southampton Parish and going east. The prime Warwick Parish section of it begins at Chaplin Bay. It traverses Stonehole Bay and Jobson's Cove, and ends at Warwick Long Bay. Chaplin Bay is a superb public beach and scenic attraction, equal to the more famous Horseshoe Bay (in Southampton Parish), but without catering and changing facilities. If you're looking for a terrific beach with pink sand, turquoise waters, limestone cliffs and trails and more, in a nice location, this is a prime spot. Jobson's Cove is a small but gorgeous sandy beach cove is just east of Stonehole Bay. It too is a superb public scenic attraction, a terrific beach with pink sand, turquoise waters, limestone cliffs and trails and more in a nice location. Stonehole Bay. This small cove is between Jobson's Cove and Chaplin Bay. It is a superb public beach and scenic attraction, yet another prime location.

Tivoli House and South Nature Reserve

Tivoli historic house

The Tivoli estate is 11.26 acres. Donated to the Bermuda National Trust in 1984 by Gloria Higgs, to preserve as open space. Also includes Tivoli Pond and the Tivoli historic house shown in the attached photo. Thanks to a donation by the family of the late Sir John Sharpe, a former Premier of Bermuda, the pond is being conserved as a remnant of marches that once extended through Warwick Valley. It will be a refuge for wildlife and protected green space in a busy suburban area and a learning resource for schools.

Tribe Road No. 7

This is a most interesting and scenic hike for more adventurous visitors with a special liking for uphill and down dale walking and the stamina to go with it. It offers spectacular views of all kinds. It connects the Middle Road with the South Road. En route, it gives you access to the Bermuda Railroad Trail and Spice Hill Road, both of which offer much in superb sightseeing of rural places and woodlands, of the type most tourists never get to see. At the South Road end, it offers a spectacular panoramic view of the gorgeous beaches and park lands of South Shore Park. The # 8 bus will drop you off near the Middle Road entrance to this road and the # 7 bus will do the same for the South Road access.

Warwick Camppublic buses

On the South Road, facing the ocean, is this military facility, the home of the Bermuda Regiment. It is a sightseeing attraction for anyone with an interest in military history and big guns. The two six inch cannons that repose here were the last British guns to be built in Bermuda by British Army craftsmen in 1939. They and their gunners guarded the South Shore from this site during World War II.

Warwick Long Baypublic buses

Bermuda's longest stretch of prime beach, particularly favored by many Bermudians and visitors. It is absolutely gorgeous for swimmers and an outstanding scenic attraction. Cliff trails can be explored. It's a great place for a picnic. Public conveniences (toilets) are nearby. There is often a lunch wagon parked on the road above the beach. A playground for children is included. Access all these beaches from the South Road, or overland from the Middle Road. Views and opportunities for photographs, picnics and more are great. The remains of a 17th century fort were found here in 2003. The # 7 bus route services all of South Shore Park.

Photograph by author Keith A. Forbes

Warwick Long Bay

Warwick Parish Council

Appointed under the Parish Councils Act 1971. See under "Parish Councils" in Bermuda Government Boards.

Warwick Pondpublic buses

Warwick Pond

This inland pond, the second-largest freshwater pond in Bermuda, is located just to the north of the mid-section of the Warwick Parish section (part of section 3) of the Bermuda Railway Trail. It's an important sanctuary for resident and migratory birds, accessible from its northern side on the Middle Road. The # 8 bus route will take you to the Middle Road access. In 2000, the Bermuda National Trust enlarged the parking area, improved the trail, enhanced forest management and created a lookout deck over the pond. The new trail links to the Bermuda Railway Trail, provides a better route for walkers and has a handrail in places. See interpretive signage about migratory waterfowl and creatures in permanent residence. Students can use the pond as an outdoor classroom to learn more about Bermuda's natural environment, via Bermuda Union of Teachers workshops.

Warwick Ridgepublic buses

Number 13 on your free listing of Bermuda National Parks and Reserves. On the southern side of the Bermuda Railway Trail, at the point where Warwick Secondary School is on the northern side. The woodland around here is mostly fragrant Bermuda indigenous allspice. 

Windreach

Spice Hill Road. A facility for the disabled, a registered charity.

Other Bermuda geographic areas

City of Hamilton Devonshire Parish Hamilton Parish Paget Parish Pembroke Parish
Sandys Parish Smith's Parish Southampton Parish St. George's Parish Town of George

125+ files on other aspects of Bermuda

Last Updated: May 13, 2008
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