Bermuda's City of Hamilton

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Bermuda's City of Hamilton

Island's capital, chief port and major locale for international businesses

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Introduction

On January 27, 2010 The Royal Gazette daily newspaper of Bermuda reported. The Corporation of Hamilton believe the Government wants its assets valued at approximately half a billion dollars. On January 26, the Corporation held a public meeting at which many discussed the Government's decision to pay $800,000 for consultants to look into reforming both the Corporation of Hamilton and St. George's. Previously Minister Walter Roban has said he has never claimed the municipalities would be closed and last night added they have nothing to fear. But Mayor Charles Gosling questioned if reform was really the Government's intention for the municipalities. And he noted that the five areas the consultants are being paid to look into include words such as "seamlessly absorb" operations preformed by the municipalities and "transfer" the operations to various Government Ministries. The consultants have also been tasked with overseeing the" actual implementation of said plan until the transition is complete.

Councillor Nick Swan spoke later in the evening when asked about the Corporation's financial standing, he said: "If Government were to absorb the Corporation of Hamilton and its hundreds of millions in assets that would allow them to increase their borrowing, because they would have more assets." The Corporation owns 32 buildings across Hamilton as well as parks and parking lots totalling approximately 32 acres. It believes, when valued in today's prices, its assets could run up to half a billion dollars. Mayor Gosling added that there was no reference to absorbing the municipalities in Bermuda's constitution, he said: "The US system is to listen to their constitutional forefathers and I think it is time Bermuda listens to its own forefathers." And he questioned why so much was being spent on the consultants, commenting: "Are they really that scared of our intellectual negotiating skills? Or are their arguments that empty?" He said several reforms, such as expanding the voting register, had already been drafted in 2008 and were now in the hands of Minister Walter Roban. But he said the Municipalities Act would need be amended if such reforms were to happen. This must be done by sitting Members of Parliament and not the Corporation's governing body. "We know some of the Act is archaic," he said, using the same term Government officials have used to describe the 1923 Municipalities. "Several recommendations have been made to update it." The Mayor urged members of the public who were concerned that the municipalities could be absorbed into the Government's framework to speak to Members of Parliament.

"We have the right to free speech," he said. "Contact the MPs whose constituencies include the Corporation of Hamilton land; Wayne Furbert, Ashfield DeVent, Michael Weeks, Louise Jackson and Patricia Gordon-Pamplin she has responsibility for White's Island. Contact Minister Walter Roban who has responsibility for this process. If the eight of us are the only ones that make any noise we are going to fail," he said referring to himself and his team of councillors.

On January 23, 2010 The Royal Gazette daily newspaper of Bermuda reported that the Bermuda Government will be spending BDA$ 800,000 on reforming the Corporations of Hamilton and St. George's. Minister Walter Roban, who has been tasked with overseeing the reforms, announced that local firm Attride-Stirling & Woloniecki Barristers & Attorneys and the international firm of McKenna Long & Aldridge have been hired as consultants to prepare a detailed review of all aspects of the municipalities. Cabinet will base its decisions on the report prepared by the law firms, which will be completed by June. Mr. Roban said the report would not necessarily be made public but added that he expected the process would be "open and transparent." The announcement came two years after Government pledged to overhaul the corporations in the 2008 Throne Speech, saying their framework was "outdated" and did "not reflect modern good governance." A year later in June, 2009 Government announced it planned to reform the Corporations of Hamilton and St. George's by repealing the Municipalities Act 1923. A letter from Cabinet Secretary Marc Telemaque said Government was to invite private firms to bid for a contract to reform the corporations. An RFP (Request For Proposal) published in the Official Gazette stated: "Cabinet determined that the most practical, efficient and effective reform would be to repeal the Municipalities Act 1923 and transition the operations of the municipalities into the relevant Government departments." Yesterday, Mr. Roban added: "In meetings with stakeholders I have advised that the Government will rely on the report from our consultants on how best to approach this reform effort in terms of the franchise, governance, efficiency, accountability and ensuring the tenets of democracy are available to all in the Municipalities and Bermuda."

However, yesterday Mr. Roban stressed that the Government has no "preconceived notions" and is waiting until the report is complete before making any decisions. And he denied that the Government intends to close the two entities, saying that he had never used those words. McKenna Long & Aldridge is an international law firm with 475 attorneys and public policy advisers. The company is recognized in the US as leaders in the complex field of government reform according to a Government press release.

The City of Hamilton, a port city, has been the capital and administrative, commercial, entertainment and shopping center of Bermuda since 1815 and the principal seaport, located in Hamilton Harbour, with a constant clientele of freighters, Bermuda-bound smaller to medium-size cruise ships, yachts, government-owned ferries and other craft. It is also the home port of a number of Bermuda-registered ships cruise ships, such as the P&O/Carnival large cruise ship Arcadia.

P&O/Carnival cruise ship Arcadia, registered in Hamilton, Bermuda. Unfortunately, the ship's horribly slow and hugely expensive Internet access does not reflect well on Hamilton or Bermuda. The constant torrent of complaints about this from dissatisfied Arcadia passengers will continue to harm Hamilton's and Bermuda's reputation until the City authorities and Bermuda Government tell P&O the ship's Internet access has to be radically improved and reduced in price to reflect well on Bermuda instead of unfairly harming the island's good reputation. See Bermuda-registered ships.

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 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 has a $20+ million budget. But those who pay city taxes, wharfage charges and parking fees to the Corporation and elect the mayor, aldermen and common councillors every three years cannot attend. Minutes of the meetings are not released and the press is excluded. This has long been the case and is unique in the Western hemisphere and also in the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia, etc. The city has long-term plans - possibly as long as 20 years, for some or all of the following to be built or improved. They include a new jetty for cruise ships with a waterfront theatre, open-air amphitheatre and park, retail space, a conference centre, an underground car park and restaurants; a land reclamation project and new ferry terminal.

The city 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).

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.

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).

Graphics above: from the top down: City Crest; Governor Henry Hamilton; Commemorative City Coin, 1993.

How the city started

1793. June 29. In Bermuda, the then-infant town (now City) of Hamilton, named after Sir Henry Hamilton, Governor 1778-1794, was incorporated by Act of Parliament, with the motto "Hamilton Sparsa Collegit" meaning "Hamilton had brought together the scattered." The Freeholders were granted authority to elect from among them 1 Mayor, 3 Aldermen and 5 Common Councilors.

1794. First Customs Warehouse, later, Town Hall, now offices, was built in Hamilton.

1795. January. First elections of officials in Hamilton. Daniel Tucker, Mayor; Richard Peniston, Joseph Stowe, William Hall, Aldermen; Benjamin Cox, George Harvey, Richard Darrell, William Morris and one other as Councilors.

1815. On January 23, the town of Hamilton became the capital of Bermuda. It replaced the historic Town of St. George in the east end of Bermuda, over the huge objection of its townsfolk and those of the Eastern Parishes. Richard Darrell was then Mayor. He remained as such from 1807 to 1848 (41 years).

1851. In Hamilton, during the term of Mayor Henry James Tucker, the cornerstone of the original Hamilton Hotel was built. On completion a year later it had 36 rooms. It was the first hotel in Bermuda and pioneered Bermuda's fledgling tourist industry. It was extended and modernized at the beginning of the 20th century. It stood where the City Hall Car Park is now located. It was destroyed by fire in the 1950s.

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.

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.

Other places called Hamilton - for different reasons - include:

No hotels are in the city now, although a St. Regis 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 its 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.

Anglican Cathedral of The Most Holy Trinity

On Church Street, between Cedar Avenue and Parliament Street. Considered the most imposing edifice in Bermuda, with no commercial or private building allowed to block a view of it. Built on the site of Trinity Church destroyed by an arsonist in the 1880s. Gothic in style and a masterpiece, it was designed by Scottish architect William Hay of Edinburgh (also responsible for Government House in Pembroke Parish) and built (work began in 1886) from a mix of Bermuda stone, Caen stone from France, Nova Scotia freestone and Scottish granite. It is the nearest Anglican or Episcopalian church for business or vacation visitors in parishes nearby and the setting for official ceremonies, state funerals and tasteful musical events. There is at least one Anglican church in every parish. All have details in the Saturday editions of daily newspapers. Admission to the Cathedral is free but for Monday-Saturday admission to its Cathedral Tower for city views from 10 am to 2 pm, there is a per-person charge. Tickets for the latter are from the Cathedral Shop.

Albuoy's Point

A small but scenic waterside park on Point Pleasant Road off Front Street, adjacent to the Ferry Terminal, accessible to the disabled as well. See panoramic views of Hamilton Harbor, cruise ships from April to November, cargo vessels and Government ferries. Yachts are berthed in the marina of the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club to the right. Also, it is superb as a place to watch the annual illuminated boat parade, every December just before Christmas. A small train and its carriages - on wheels not a track - takes fare paying passengers via a stop here to the City Hall and various other vantage points for visitors nearby.

Atlantis

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.

Back O' Town or the Pond

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.

Barr's Bay and Barr's Park

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.

Bermuda Archives

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.

Bermuda Festival

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.

Bermuda Fire Service

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.

Bermuda Historical Society Museum

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 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.

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). One was Thomas Savage Sr, who worked in both Boston MA and Bermuda. His silver tankard made on the Island in around 1710 was auctioned off in early 2009 by Sotheby's in New York, for well over $60,000. It is hoped it will find its way back to Bermuda. Bermuda silver is extremely rare and does not frequently show up at auction.

Only 38 silversmiths are known to have worked in Bermuda between 1650 and 1900, and the majority made small objects such as spoons, buckles and buttons. Only seven silversmiths were known to have made larger objects, and only 30 of these objects are known today. Since 1998, Sotheby's has only sold one other tankard believed to be made in Bermuda.

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.

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 quite 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.

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.

Bermuda Harbour Nights

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

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.

Bermuda National Gallery

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:

Bermuda National Library

In May 2009 it was reported by Bermuda's Royal Gazette newspaper that The Bermuda National Library is to open this autumn, nearly a year after it was closed to remove mould and asbestos. The second floor of the Adult Library on Queen Street was shut in May 2009 May following a sickout by eight employees with longstanding complaints about potential health risks. Mould remediation and asbestos abatement of the building have been completed and new air-conditioning units are being installed for both the upper and lower levels of the library. The replacement of these units was necessary, as they were a major source of mould within the library facility. The library is not scheduled to open until the fall of 2009. On completion of the installation of the air conditioning units, the upper level will be painted, re-carpeted and the shelving reinstalled. At that time, library staff can begin the process of replacing the cleaned books on the shelves. Certain books would be unavailable as they are taken away for cleaning.

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. 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 Society of Arts

Bermudiana Arcade

On Queen Street, this occupies several floors, with a variety of small but interesting shops and restaurants.

Bermuda War Memorial from 2010

On November 10, 2009 it was announced that Bermuda is to receive a new war memorial. It will be built on the grounds of the Cabinet Office, near the corner of Front and Court Streets, just east of the Cenotaph. It will honour almost 2,000 Bermudians who served here and abroad, in either the First or Second World Wars. It will include recognition of Bermudian individuals who did not travel overseas, but who protected Bermuda's shores locally, remained unrecognized and seemingly unappreciated. It will be designed and built by the Ministry of Works and Engineering. Plaques will be displayed on five individual walls that will form a semi-circle around a rolling ball water fountain resting on a granite base. Seating will be provided at the memorial and it is expected that it will be a serene place where war veterans, visitors and other members of an appreciative public may gather to reflect upon and to pay respect to those who served this Island so heroically.

Bermudiana Road

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.

Burnaby Hill and Burnaby Street

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.

Bus Terminal

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.

Cabinet Building and Cenotaph

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."

Car Parks

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.

Car parking for the disabled with permits

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.

Cathedral of St. Theresa

Cedar Avenue at Elliott Street. The seat of the Bishopric of the Roman Catholic Church of Bermuda, another City landmark. It was built in 1927 out of Bermuda stone, in Spanish Mission style. It replaced an earlier church gutted by arson. It is for all who live or stay as visitors in adjacent Parishes. Details of services are in the Saturday editions of the daily and weekly newspapers.

Cedar Park

Beacon Street, off Cedar Avenue. From 1 August 2003, a hidden park with a new lease of life and newly planted endemic trees.

Chancery Lane

Between Front and Reid Streets and connecting the two as a walkway, it has specialty stores and services. Note the interesting brick walkway.

Church Street

Aptly named, with more churches (including the Anglican Cathedral referred to earlier) located on it than perhaps anywhere else. Stroll from the junction from Burnaby Street to King Street to count all the churches.

City Hall, Mayor and Corporation of Hamilton

In June 2009 the Bermuda Government announced it wanted to get rid of both the Corporation of Hamilton and Corporation of St. George, the long-term governing bodies of the city and town respectively and parcel out their operations to relevant government departments. Their then-mayors Sutherland Madeiros and Mariea Caisey vowed to fight the decision, stating that they would be taking legal advice on how to oppose it. Mr. Madeiros questioned the Government's rationale for abolishing the corporations of Hamilton and St. George's, writing that the reasons cannot be substantiated. The Bermuda Government was asked to explain exactly how the corporations 'compete' with the Government; to provide facts and figures that would explain how abolishing the corporations will lead to practical, efficient and effective reform, particularly since there is no duplication of services and the corporations have never requested subsidies; how the issue of double taxation can be considered a significant issue, when it has already been dealt with; how Government can claim it is unhappy with the manner of electoral reform when it is Government that has stymied the reform process by refusing to discuss changes to the Municipalities Act 1923 that would lead to an expanded franchise, among other things; and why Government never responded to numerous requests to meet with the corporations to discuss reform, having received a paper outlining recommendations eight months ago. The corporations did extensive research, sought input from the public and hired two former senior civil servants to review their proposed changes to the Act. he wrote. In October 2008, they presented the Ministry of Finance and the Attorney General's office with a 41-page document containing their recommendations, which focused on electoral reform and modern governance. At the same time, they requested consultation, wishing to work in partnership with Government to establish a new Municipalities Act that would reflect best 21st-century practices.

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.

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 of Hamilton (from July 17, 2009). Businessman Charles Gosling was elected in mid July 2009. He replaced Sutherland Madeiros who was elected October 27, 2006 and wanted only one term in office.

Deputy Mayor: Alderman Courtland A. Boyle, J.P. Corporation of Hamilton Secretary and Chief Operating Officer: Edward Benevides, e-mail EBenevides@cityhall.bm.

Corporation Committees are each chaired by an Alderman. There are also Common Councilors.

Corporation Meetings

Since October 2009 The Corporation of Hamilton has opened its Board meetings and will further expand the process in 2010. The Meetings are held the first Wednesday of the month at 12:30 at the Mayor’s Parlour. The Corporation of Hamilton also submitted to Government in Oct 2008 requesting the franchise be expanded to include all Bermuda Residents listed in the Parliamentary Register, who reside within the Municipalities be allowed to vote in the Municipal Elections. To date this request has not been answered, 2 municipal elections have been held. Parliament is the only body who can amend the Municipalities Act and make changes to the Franchise. The Corporation' proposals are recommendations that have to be reviewed by Parliament, Cabinet and the Attorney General.

Prior to the October 2009 change in policy, meetings were not open to the public and this was the only jurisdiction in the western world where this restriction was 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 yet done so. The Municipalities Act demands that anyone wishing to stand as mayor, councilor or alderman is a bona fide voter in the city.

Currently, there are just 75 Hamilton residents registered to vote in City elections, versus 725 Hamilton residents registered to vote in general elections. Of the 406 people now registered, 331 are classed as business voters, making Hamilton the only city in the world allowing businesses a say in municipal elections.

Corporation Taxes including Land Tax

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.

Revenue & expenditure

City Hall Theatre

City Hall Square

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.

City sewage

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.

City walking tour

A once a week, free conducted tour. Contact the Visitors Service Bureau of the Chamber of Commerce (telephone 295-1480) for what day and where to rendezvous.

Court Street

A major city artery. It goes north from Front Street to Pembroke Marsh. In its first two blocks, it borders the grounds of both the Cabinet Building and Sessions House. It has been called Court Street since 1849, from the courthouse at Sessions House which was the scene in 1835 when seventy eight slaves from the American brig Enterprise were set free under Bermuda's Emancipation law of 1834. Most remained in Bermuda. Today, the street is a potpourri of smaller stores and services. Look for some interesting buildings architecturally. It is a cultural experience and shopping excursion for the visitor who is not timid. But visitors should also note it is the most crime-affected area in Bermuda. Takbir Sharrieff, of Bermudians Against Narcotics (BAN), was reported in April 2006 as saying: “We need to take our streets and neighborhoods back. To see a criminal element out of control is reflective of an Island-wide attitude that ‘I can deal drugs and carry a firearm any time I like.” Describing Court Street as “the most crime-affected area in the country,” former Police Sergeant Mr. Sharrieff said the law was being flouted there and criminals felt safe from the Police while frequenting its bars. Also see Uptown Market Association below.

Cruise ship berths

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).

Beginning in 2010, Holland America Line will once again sail on regularly scheduled mid ship size cruises between New York City and Bermuda. Holland America, founded in 1873, with appreciably more than a century of experience, is the only premium cruise line that calls in both Hamilton and St. George's, Bermuda's cultural and shopping hubs. Additionally, guests of Holland America Line will have an opportunity to fully experience Bermuda's British charm and its unique island culture by day and by night with multi-day stays in each port. That passengers will sail directly to Hamilton and St. George's is a huge plus for them and a major positive boost for Bermuda after a sustained huge outcry among cruise ship passengers denied cruise ship access to Hamilton and St. Georges's from 2008 that some of them, experienced and frequent cruise passengers who maintain their own lists of their favourite ports based on a set of cruise-friendly criteria, reduced Bermuda's status as a cruise ship destination from 6th overall to 24th overall.

When the 1,350-guests, 500 crew, mid-size MS Veendam sails in late August 2010 on the first of 10 roundtrips to the island, sailing from New York on Saturdays, arriving in Bermuda on Mondays with three nights in Bermuda, it will mark Holland America Line's return to New York City as a home port and to Bermuda as a destination. Holland America Line worked closely with the Bermudian government to form the partnership that takes Holland America Line back to the island that it first visited more than 70 years ago. In 1926, Veendam II, with a guest capacity of approximately 500, left New York on the company's first Caribbean cruise. During the summers of 1930 and 1931, Veendam II sailed on five-day roundtrip cruises between New York and Bermuda.

In addition to the ten sailings between late August and October in 2010, Holland America Line will visit the island and its towns for a full season beginning in May 2011, with 20 or more sailings anticipated. To date, Holland America (owned by Carnival) is the only premium cruise line with smaller and mid-size ships to visit both Hamilton and St. George's,

Container docks

1973. November. Hamilton's container dock # 8, and an extension of container dock # 7, were officially opened.

Employers

Ferry Terminal

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.

Flagpole

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.

Front Street

Note the distinctive colonial architecture. 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 former shopping icons 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.

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.

General Post Office

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.

Harbour Nights

Locals and visitors can shop at many stores with special late closing hours (7:00 pm to 10 pm), eat and listen to island culture. An initiative begun in 1993 by the Bermuda Chamber of Commerce. Every Wednesday 24 weeks a year from April or May through August or September. With different free entertainment.

Horse drawn carriages

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.

House of Assembly

Law courts

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.

Movie theaters (cinemas)

Two of the island's movie theaters are the Little Theater on Queen Street and the Liberty Theater at 49 Union Street. Both show current movies mostly from the USA.

Night clubs

With Night Club liquor licenses. In Bermuda, the minimum legal age for alcoholic consumption is 18. Official ID such as a driver's license may be required.

Old Colony Club

A club for both locals and expatriates, with an accent on folk singing. 5 Trott Road, Hamilton HM 11. Telephone 293 9241

Par-la-Ville Park

Off Queen Street, this is a nice small garden park. Disabled persons in wheelchairs should take the thoughtfully-provided disabled-friendly left hand route after the Bermuda Historical Society building to avoid the steps. Sit or stroll in gardens of trees, shrubs and flowers. It has one of Bermuda's famous Moongates, a limestone built arch bringing good luck to lovers and newly weds who step through it. In the 19th century, it was an orange orchard, with some 40,000 boxes shipped to Boston alone in one year. Later, Bermuda stone was quarried from here to build the Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity. The huge rubber tree at the entrance was imported as a suckling from British Guiana (now Guyana) and planted in 1847. When Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) got to like Bermuda so much he made it his second home, he joked that he was disappointed in this tree because it didn't bear a crop of rubber hot water bottles and overshoes.

Perot Post Office

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.

Phoenix Clock

This famous city landmark is on Reid Street. A Howard Post Clock, 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. It runs via a pendulum and after not working for sometime it was repaired in May 2009 by a craftsman from Massachusetts. (See Royal Gazette photo, right).

Visitors from Massachusetts in particular may be fascinated by the clock's history. The E. Howard & Co. clock and Watch company was formed by Edward Howard and Charles Rice in 1858 after the demise of the Boston Watch Company. They bought the existing stock but were unable to buy the existing factory so they moved to Roxbury. They decided to concentrate on high quality watches using unique designs. The business was famous for high grade watches, regulators, and marine clocks. The E. Howard Watch & Clock Company was formed as a joint stock corporation on December 1, 1881 to succeed an earlier firm of similar name founded by Edward Howard (1813-1904). Howard, a clockmaking apprentice of Aaron Willard, Jr. had commenced business with David P. Davis, manufacturing high-grade wall clocks under the name of Howard & Davis in 1842. They also became known for their manufacture of sewing machines, fire engines and precision balances. About 1843, with a third partner, Luther Stephenson, they began to also manufacture tower clocks.

In 1857, David P. Davis left the firm and Howard & Davis was dissolved and was succeeded by E. Howard & Company. Both Howard and Davis had also been involved in watch manufacturing, somewhat unsuccessfully, since 1850, In 1857-8, Edward Howard finished and sold left over "Model 1857" material from the Boston Watch Co. under the name "Howard & Rice." In December of 1858, Howard finally bought out Rice's interest and began manufacturing watches of a new design, signed "E. Howard & Co." While the company name changed several times during the firm's watch-making history, all watches it made continued to be signed "E. Howard & Co." throughout, with only minor exceptions. The Howard firm established itself as perhaps the premier American manufacturer of luxury watches from 1858 into the 1890s.

On March 24, 1861 the clock and watch businesses were combined into one joint stock corporation, the Howard Clock & Watch Company, which failed in 1863. Thereafter, Howard formed a new company called the Howard Watch & Clock Company (transposing clock & watch) on October 1, 1863, which was successful for some years but was reorganized in 1881 after financial setbacks of a few years previous.

In 1881, Edward Howard sold out his personal interests and retired, leaving the firm to new management. This firm continued the manufacture of many clock styles, primarily weight driven wall timepieces and regulators of fine quality. Watch manufacturing ceased in 1903, when the Howard name in association with watches was sold to the Keystone Watch Case Co. Keystone purchased the defunct US Watch Co. factory building in Waltham Mass. (The US Watch Co. of Waltham is not to be confused with an earlier company of the same name in Marion, NJ.) There Keystone manufactured watches signed "E. Howard Watch Co." These watches were of new designs and unlike those of the original Howard company. Clocks were manufactured at Roxbury, a part of Boston, but in the early 1930s the operation was moved to Waltham, MA.

Public Conveniences

Queen and Reid Streets

Queen street runs from Front Street to Church Street. It has shops, Perot Post Office, Par-La-Ville Park, Windsor Place plaza and Bermudiana Arcade. Reid Street is named after Governor William Reid who arrived in 1839. On it include Washington Mall and Walker Arcade, perfumery, bank, Cabinet Building and restaurants.

Restaurants

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.

Sessions House

The building was erected in 1817, initially as a four-square Georgian structure, not long after Hamilton, instead of St. George's, became the capital. It was deliberately placed then atop the highest ground in the city, not far from the Anglican Cathedral. To coincide with the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1887, it was embellished substantially on its southern ceremonial front, complete with towering arches, very possibly by the Scottish architect William Hay who designed the Anglican Cathedral not far away on Church Street. Bermuda's Westminster style Parliament, referred to locally as the House of Assembly, meets here, upstairs, while the Supreme Court meets on the ground floor. It has 35 elected and paid members for 38,000 registered voters in 21 square miles. (A further 11 are appointed, also paid politicians, in the Senate but for a far lower salary).

The total number of Bermuda's legislators is 46, one for every 800 or so registered voters, 14 times the average ratio of legislators to voters in North America and Europe. There are long periods when the House is not in session. The Speaker of the House wears a formal wig and gown, in the British tradition. Visitors may attend in the public gallery.

St. Regis Hotel (planned, not yet built)

In 2009 Ritz Carlton declared it was no longer interested. In June 2009 it was announced the St. Regis had signed a contract. Before that, 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. With its prime position in the centre of Hamilton’s financial district and directly across the road from the Bermuda Stock Exchange, it was anticipated the hotel will attract a high proportion of business clientele.

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, an exclusive five-star hotel and residence development will open in the City in 2013. The St. Regis Bermuda will feature 140 rooms and suites and 80 serviced residences, and will be located on the corner of Par-la-Ville Road and Church Street, overlooking the park. It will be the first major luxury hotel to open in the city in more than 50 years. The result of 15 years of negotiations with various developers, the venture is spearheaded by luxury hotel brand Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide in their first project in Bermuda. The hotel has "in principle" planning approval and will be nine storeys high on the Church Street side and ten storeys on the Par-La-Ville side, with three levels of underground parking. The hotel will be developed by Par-La-Ville Hotel and Residences Ltd. and the development partners are Virginia-based Unified Resorts Limited and New York-based Sagewood Investments LLC.

Starwood Hotels say the hotel and residences will feature butler service, a spa, two restaurants, a wine bar and library and a rooftop conservatory. The residences will feature a separate private lobby entrance and elevators, and full access to the hotel's luxury amenities and facilities. The land the hotel will be built on is owned by the Corporation of Hamilton. The hotel announcement came less than a week after the Government announced that it plans to abolish the Corporations of Hamilton and St. George, bringing the running of the city and the old town under the umbrella of central Government instead. The St. Regis Bermuda will be the newest addition to The St. Regis portfolio of 16 hotels and resorts in the some of the world's most glamorous destinations, including Bora Bora, Aspen, Washington DC, San Francisco, Atlanta, London, Rome, Beijing and Shanghai. The chain opened four hotels in 2008 in Mexico, Bali, Atlanta and Singapore and is planning around 20 more in the coming years including Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Supermarkets

Thistle House

Hamilton’s newest office building, built on the site of the former Imperial Hotel. The five-storey building is owned by Jardine Gibbons Properties, a company that in turn is jointly owned by majority shareholder Edmund Gibbons Ltd. (part of the Gibbons Group of Companies) and Jardine Matheson Group.

Toilets

They are at Albuoy's Point, Par-la-Ville Park, the cruise ship passenger terminals and on Victoria Street behind City Hall.

Uptown Market Association and Uptown Culture Fest

An organization representing the shops of and based in Court Street and district. They are far less frequented by tourists and business visitors. Elmore Warren, its 2006 chairman, was quoted as saying: "The bridge from Downtown to Uptown is very important. We have to build this bridge." In mid-June 2006, it initiated the Uptown Culture Fest. It featured the many tastes, sights, and sounds of this culturally rich area and complements the already ever-popular Harbour Nights. It has added security measures, to be a pleasant experience for all.

Victoria Market

Victoria Street. In the parking lot across from the People's Pharmacy. A shopping outlet for tourists and residents, with vendors selling from stalls. Part of the North East Hamilton Empowerment Zone. Contact Kelli Thompson on 504-4448.

Victoria Park

North of the City Hall, across Victoria Street and Cedar Avenue, is this attractive little city park. It has manicured lawns, sunken garden and ornamental shrubbery, with mature specimens of trees and shrubs. Before the park was created, then refurbished in the 1880's for Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee, the area was known as Deane's Bottom, after a rotund Mr. Dean. The Victoria Bandstand is of special interest, originally imported from Scotland in 1899 to celebrate Victoria's Jubilee.. In Victorian days, bands from British Army regiments at Fort Prospect (decommissioned in 1953) in Devonshire Parish gave public concerts here regularly. Today, the bandstand is still used for concerts. In mid 2008, the bandstand disappeared, hopefully only temporarily. The Corporation of Hamilton wanted to assess the condition of the 109-year-old structure and set out to find experts to examine the landmark. It was packed off to Scotland for repairs, due to deterioration. It may be that the bandstand is the last of its kind, or only one left of its original model. Charles Laing and Sons, a Scottish restoration company specializing in ironworks, answered the bid. Andrew Laing, the firm's managing director, found the structure in good condition, but with plenty of room for improvement, with two banister segments and a gate missing, along with a damaged column. Research lead them to the discovery that prior to the bandstand being erected, it was left laying on its side for several months as a wave of bad weather struck the Island. It seems there are no records of any other of the same design. Along with the replacement of the barristers and gate and repair work done to the column, the restorations should improve the ceiling of the structure which is designed to work as a loudspeaker. The restoration was completed and the bandstand returned to the park by April 2009 for the Island's 400th anniversary and June 2009, for use for an awards ceremony for the Tall Ships visiting the Island as part of its 400th anniversary celebrations.

Visitors Service Bureau

At 8 Front Street, adjacent to the Ferry Terminal. Since 1909. It offers a friendly, free service to visitors in tour bookings and more. Get free brochures on principal attractions and island pocket maps.

Walker Arcade

Between Front and Reid Streets, with entrances from both, an interesting shopping center, with a variety of small shops in a courtyard and 2-floor setting.

Washington Mall

A large shopping mall by Bermuda standards, with entrances from both Reid and Church Streets. It is owned by Washington Properties Ltd.

- business center	- business facilities	- Ship view	- dining
- disabled access	- fitness	- golf course	- meeting room
- pool	- public buses	- public ferries	- shopping
- walking area

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