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Bermuda's Hamilton Parish

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

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. 

Accommodation symbols

- 5 Star hotel

- 4 Star hotel

- 3 Star hotel

- 2 Star hotel

• Hotels

• Cottage Colonies & Private Clubs

• Guest Houses

• Efficiency Units (Self Catering)

• Clear View Suites and Villas (Self Catering with restaurant)

Other symbols

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

Introduction

Hamilton Parish's crest, from that of the 2nd Marquis of Hamilton

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.

Bermuda's Architectural Heritage: Hamilton Parish. Diana Chudleigh. 2002, Bermuda National Trust. 4th in its historic buildings book series. 230 pages. Illustrated with B&W photographs. $29.95.

Hamilton Parish was not the original name. It was Harrington Tribe, after Lucy Harrington, a wealthy and influential woman in the Elizabethan era. Part of the Parish and a local Government run school still have her name. 

Then came another Elizabethan patron, James Hamilton, 2nd Marquis of Hamilton in the Scottish peerage (1589 to 1625). He was one of the many Scots peers who accompanied King James VI of Scotland and first of England to London when he ascended the throne on the death of Queen Elizabeth 1 in 1603. Loyal Hamilton was once proposed as a husband for the King's daughter. In 1620, he became a member of the Council for the Plantations of New England and later was rewarded as a Knight of the Garter. He died of a malignant fever in 1625 and his death is said to have hastened that of his Royal friend.

He was one of the gentlemen Adventurers who invested in the Bermuda Company to colonize it from 1615. As he was the largest shareholder in the original Hamilton Tribe, it took his name.  His son and heir was executed for treason in 1649, his title reverted to his brother William and on his death in 1651, to his eldest surviving daughter Anne, Duchess of Hamilton in her own right.

Early settlers called the Parish or Tribe Bailey's Bay. In 1623, adventurer Captain John Smith, famous in American, Bermudian and British history, encountered many spooky caves in this Parish. It is unrelated to the City of Hamilton eight miles away. It is Bermuda's second most eastern Parish, on the North and South Shores. It has deep water limestone caves, with subterranean passages. They have stalactites and stalagmites of Gothic grandeur. They began during the Pleistocene Ice Age. Sites include the Crystal Caves and the Grotto Bay Hotel's Cathedral and Prospero's Caves. Altogether, there are 10 accessible caves in Bermuda that have sea water pools with a maximum depth of 80 feet given tidal variations. Most are in this Parish. 

Constituencies

• Hamilton East
• Hamilton West
• Hamilton South

Abbott's Cliff Park

Sometimes called Abbott's Head, it is on the north side of Harrington Sound. It was added to the Bermuda National Parks & Nature Reserves system in the latter part of the year 2000. Abbott is an old Bermudian family name. The park is in two separate areas of land, one of 5.61 hectares (13.86 acres) and the other of 1.77 hectares (4.36 acres), for a total area of 7.38 hectares or 18.22 acres  The cliff is reputed to be all that remains of a huge prehistoric cavern. There is a sheer wall of limestone between My Lord's Bay and Church Bay. It includes Abbott's Cliff Road and Abbott's Crescent. The park has splendid walking along unmarked trails and lovely frequent views of Harrington Sound and its islands. Most visitors are unaware of the scenic beauty of Bermuda as it once was on this walk and the great variety of plants they can see.

Bus routes 10 and 11 service the area. This small bay is off the North Shore Road, opposite Bay Island. But it's also the local residential area that encompasses Bailey's Bay itself and the area south and east of it, including the Crystal and Leamington Caves, Fractious Street, Swizzle Inn, Trinity Church Road and the Church itself. Nearby are several coastal park like areas, a public dock and small beach.

This wonderful facility for all the family is next to Flatts Bridge, where the Atlantic Ocean flows into First Flatts Inlet and then the inland Harrington Sound lake. It dates back to the first decade of the 20th century when scientists from distinguished American universities set up a summer camp to carry out oceanographic research at Bermuda. A local sister organization known as the Bermuda Natural History Society, established in 1901, provided a year-round aquarium for the scientists. It began at Agar's Island (see Bermuda Islands) and moved from Agar's Island to its present location in 1926 when the two groups split. The scientific section was incorporated as a private research institute owned by American academic interests and is now the Bermuda Biological Station Inc. in Ferry Reach, St. George's Parish. The Bermuda Natural History Society became defunct and the Bermuda Government took over the Aquarium. Louis Mowbray (the elder)  became its first Curator. Today, The Aquarium, Museum and Zoo have  fascinating displays of animal, aquatic and marine life and natural history. You could easily spend the best part of a day here, whether you arrive by air or cruise ship. There is an admission fee of US$ 10 for each adult, $5 for a Bermuda senior and child over 5, with under 5's free but with all children 12 and under accompanied by an adult. You can avoid these fees by becoming a member of its active, nonprofit organization in advance of your visit or at the time. E-mail bzs@ibl.bm for categories and details, including frequent special trips to various places for members.

Also read all about and encourage conservation of Bermuda's reefs. The American Zoo and Aquarium Association gave a first prize $25,000 grant to the facility for its now famous North Rock Exhibit - a copy of a nautical landmark 9 miles off Bermuda's shoreline.

Bermuda sea shells. The largest and most complete collection of Bermuda shells to be found anywhere in the world was donated in October 2001 to the Natural History Museum at the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo. They were collected by retired banker Jack Lightbourn and his late colleague and friend Arthur Guest since 1965. There are about 7,700 species in all.

The Honey House, Chartwell Aperies, Bailey's Bay. Telephone via cellular at (441) 799-3061. Beekeeper is Randolph Furbert, Jr. and son John. He is "Beekeeper Number 5" in Bermuda. Bees were first imported on a British ship in 1616 when English colonist Robert Rich received some sent to him by his cousin Sir Nathaniel Rich. They did so well in Bermuda that they began the local beekeeping micro-industry. In contrast, bees were not exported from England to the USA until six years later. Bees and beeswax were exported for many years in small quantities from Bermuda to both the USA and Caribbean.  

The color and flavor of honey is always determined by where the bee has been gathering nectar. In Bermuda, bees luxuriate in a number of flowering shrubs, trees and weeds of a type not growing in the wild or freely in North America or Europe. Typically, there are two honey flows a year, a minor one in June to July and a major one in September to October. Beekeepers normally harvest honey following these flows, with most of the local honey in the fall flow. In late 2003, Hurricane Fabian caused substantial damage to the local honey industry, just at the start of the major flow. After it, no flowers were left from which bees could gather nectar. It is not generally realized that when one speaks disparagingly of the "invasive" flora of Bermuda, local bees like the invasive flora best for nectar, in particular the Mexican pepper.

Bermuda National Parks

All these are owned by the Bermuda Government and are shown separately. Most are areas of open land interesting to naturalists. Some are on the shore.

37 North Shore Road, east of the Bermuda Aquarium. Artifacts and memorabilia of the Bermuda Railway and narrow-gauge Astor Estate railway. Tuesday to Friday, 10 am to 4 pm. Free admission. Accessible by taxi, bus and moped.

Bermuda Railway Trail

One of the magnificent views from the Hamilton Parish part of the Railway Trail. Photo by author Keith A. Forbes, solely for Bermuda Online

Blue Hole Hill Park

The entrance is where Blue Hole Hill meets the Causeway. It is a Bermuda Government preserve, a public park. A land and sea park treasure.  Bring a swimsuit and towel, sandwiches and a drink. Take Bus routes 1, 3, 10 or 11 to the Grotto Bay Hotel bus stop.  See pools for bird watchers and walking trails.  Access the sea amid glades of mangroves.  At high and low tides, there are places to swim but not much beach at high tide. Wear old sneakers to avoid submerged rocks or clam shells. Avoid where the sand blends into deep mud and sink holes.  Follow the coastline to your right. See caves with their access almost completely hidden. Some have deep water pools. Further south, the park merges with the large Walsingham Trust property, the center of which is Tom Moore's Tavern in Tom Moore's Jungle.

Burchall Cove

(Number 44 on the free Bermuda National Parks & Nature Reserves Map available from a Visitors Service Bureau). It is a small North Shore harbor for many boats, a picturesque marine cove, west of Shelly Bay Beach and east of  the Shelly Bay MarketPlace grocery store.

A Bermuda Historic House. See in alphabetical order. A private home.

This exquisite large harbor is one of Bermuda's maritime gems. See it from an excursion boat from the Grotto Bay Hotel. It is the magnificent waterfront and beach areas for much of Hamilton Parish and St. George's Parish. At one time, until the waters silted up too much, it was where the Royal Navy moored its vessels in Bermuda waters. A resident Admiral had his residence overlooking the harbor. There are many islands and beach areas. 

The huge former Castle Harbour Hotel, shown in this photograph, was first opened by the British shipping company of Furness Withy in the 1930s. But the development came at a huge cost to the environment. Before construction started in the 1930s, magnificent Church Cave and Bitumen Cave were at the entrance of the development. Church Cave was noted for having one of the largest underground lakes in Bermuda. Bitumen Cave was notable - not in a nice way - as the repository for hundreds of rusting barrels of tar, dumped during and after completion and as the result of the completion of the hotel.  After World War 2, it was owned by Bermuda Properties Limited - which still owns it. It became the Marriott Castle Harbour Hotel in the 1980s and millions of dollars were poured into it annually for years. Marriott ceased its lease after incurring huge annual losses no longer allowed to be borne by American taxpayers and the hotel was closed in November 1999. The old hotel will soon be torn down and rebuilt as the Tucker's Point Club, managed by the  Texas firm of Rosewood, with expensive villas and condos as new attractions for the wealthy. 13 luxury homes and 13 luxury town houses will be on top of Ship's Hill, almost directly above Church Cave.

It is featured on a 2002 $1 Bermuda postage stamp. It is situated in the grounds of the Grotto Bay Hotel. Believed to be connected underwater with Prospero's Cave.

Telephone (441) 293-1050 or fax (441) 293-0267. At Clear View Suites & Villas, Crawl Hill, North Shore Road, east of the Shelly Bay Plaza. The gallery is owned by Otto and Carollee Trott.

The 10 and 11 buses stop near here. The studio has moped and car parking. Otto is a prominent local artist whose works have been commissioned by many individuals and organizations. See art treasures from unusual prints to bronze sculptures, small (portable) and full sized original oil paintings, watercolors, wearable art, also many artworks on Bermudian life. If you wish, schedule an art lesson or a sit for a portrait. They make distinctive birthday, anniversary and special occasions gifts.

See under Accommodation.

Sandy Lane, Hamilton Parish, Bermuda CR 02.  Telephone (441) 293-0484 in Bermuda or in the USA or Canada 1-800-468-9600. Fax (441) 293-0267. Or e-mail clearview@northrock.bm. On the 10 and 11 bus routes, it is midway between the City of Hamilton and Town of St. George and under three miles from Bermuda International Airport. With restaurant. Self-catering (efficiency).

Crawl Waterfront

(Number 45 on your Bermuda National Parks & Nature Reserves Map).  A small coastal marine area with a couple of small beaches sadly not well maintained at all. It is on the Bermuda Railway Trail. The small cove with boats moored in it used to be a lovely place to swim, but excessively long ropes for boat moorings now get in the way.

8 Crystal Caves Road, Bailey's Bay, CR 04. Phone 293-0640. Admission per adult from $15 or from $22 for two caves, less for children. 9 am to 5pm daily, last tour 4:30 pm. Off Wilkinson Avenue, must see attractions with beautiful examples of Mother Nature's underground architecture over millions of years. It was first discovered in 1904 by Carl Gibbons and Edgar Hollis, two boys searching for a lost soccer ball and opened to the public three years later. Now they are tourist attractions, with Crystal Cave featured on a 2002 70-cent Bermuda postage stamp. The property is owned by the local Wilkinson Trust. Bus routes 1, 3, 10 and 11 stop nearby, at the Swizzle Inn. For moped users, there is free parking. See stalactites, stalagmites, other  formations of limestone and crystal clear deep pools. Here, the water is 55 feet deep yet so clear the bottom can be easily seen. Over a single period of one hundred years, only one cubic inch of a formation in this magnificent Gothic Palace of columns is created from the microscopic particles of limestone suspended in the relentless drips of water. There is an admittance fee but with a full guided tour. Bring a light sweater to wear in the cave.  There is also a Cafe Ole and gift shop.

(Number 47 on your Bermuda National Parks & Nature Reserves Map).

On Wilkinson Avenue, opposite the Crystal Cave. Buses 1, 3, 10 and 11 stop nearby. Also owned by the Wilkinson Trust. It was discovered in 1907 by Arthur E. Haycock and opened to the public as Wonderland Cave, but was closed in 1931. It re-opened on July 30, 2001 after some delays, as Fantasy Cave, re-developed and illuminated. It is featured on a 2002 35-cent Bermuda postage stamp. It is gorgeous, smaller than the Crystal Cave but with something quite different to see. 

Flatt's Bridge, Inlet & Village

It is exactly midway between the City of Hamilton and Town of St. George, on the North Shore Road. Route 10 and 11 buses stop in and near the village. It is a magnificent lagoon, the only one of its type in Bermuda. View it best from the dock opposite the Bermuda Aquarium, Natural History Museum and Zoo. Face south for a view of Flatts Inlet, or north for Harrington Sound. Under the bridge, the water either surges into Harrington Sound from the Atlantic via Flatts Inlet, or flows out in the reverse direction. Often, see fish or squid flowing with the tide. People gazing at the tide rushing under Flatts Bridge are only partly correct in thinking this is how Harrington Sound to the north of the bridge fills and empties.

The racing current is just a fraction of the daily ebb and flow. Most of it slides silently through hidden caves and tunnels. There is a vast underground labyrinth of them stretching the length of the Parish and from coast to coast in the Parish. Most of the network is entirely under water. Under water caves look exactly like above-water caves.  The Bermuda Cave Diving Association has lines connecting them. Experienced cave divers, local or visiting, can find out more. What is not seen in these photographs is that Flatts waters are presently very congested, so much so that some local boat owners claim they are paying $8,000 a year.

Elsewhere in the village, major wharf improvements have occured, complete with construction of a sidewalk, lamp posts, a grounded seat wall and two steps separating the sidewalk and the dock. On a Saturday every October, the Flatts Festival takes place here, with traffic banned, with artists and other attractions. The attractive condominiums on the south side of Flatts Inlet are St. James's Court built by insurance firm Liberty Mutual, of Boston, Massachusetts. Flatt's Village has lovely (expensive) condominiums, guest accommodations, restaurants, small shops and docking. It was once the haunt of smugglers. For people who arrive by bus, it is an attractive village. But for those who come by moped or scooter or car - and the elderly or disabled - the road is far too narrow, there is still no sidewalk or pavement through the village itself, traffic is usually heavy and there is no parking in village for those who merely wish to sightsee and not patronize a local restaurant.

Flatts in the 1930s then with Frascati Hotel (later Coral Island Hotel, later demolished for condominiums shown above right)

Grocery stores include

Shelly Bay Plaza

This is just east of Shelly Bay and Burch's Cove. Bus routes 10 and 11 drop you right outside the plaza. It has a do it yourself laundromat; full service grocery store; pizzeria; and clothing store. If you stay at Clear View Suites and Villas, this is close and convenient for your clothes washing and food shopping.

Budget for Bermuda prices

Bermuda prices stun many visitors. But for all locals and visitors on a budget, the local full service branch of The Marketplace grocery chain is open every day from 8 am to 10 pm (except Sunday from 1 pm to 5 pm). Its phone number is 293-0966 and e-mail address is marketpl@ibl.bm. There is a 5 percent discount on food each Wednesday.  It has a nice selection of American, British and Canadian brand name foods and also has many from ShopRite in the USA and President's Choice in Toronto. Note that liquor cannot be bought in Bermuda on Sunday.

Grotto Bay Beach Resort Hotel

See under Accommodation - Hotels

Hamilton Parish Council

Appointed under the Parish Councils Act 1971. See under "Parish Councils" in Bermuda Government Boards. Appointees are political and meetings are not open to the public, unlike in the United Kingdom, Canada and USA where parish or community councils always are.

The Hamilton Parish coastline and points of interest of this large inland lake (see photo by the author) are lovely. The Sound was named after Lucy Harrington, a wealthy and influential women in the Elizabethan era who did so much for the Parish. In its own way, Harrington Sound is as glorious as the lakes of New Hampshire, Maine, and the Lake District of England, for fishing, swimming, sunfish sailing, kayaking. View its many facets from the Harrington Sound Road. 

There are lots of bays, caves, cliffs and coves, but not many beaches.  

The Sound marks the lowest point on the Bermuda sea platform. It is quite deep, about 23 meters (about 70 feet) at Devil's Hole. Its geological formation is not yet fully explained. It is not the crater of an extinct volcano as often assumed. Its islands include Hall's Island, Rabbit Island and Trunk Island. Some are inhabited year round.

An interesting, scenic ride by moped or the # 3 bus route. Bear east along this road, skirting the Sound, after Devil's Hole. The Hamilton Parish portion begins shortly after the junction with Broken Hill Road on the right and continues all the way to the junction with Wilkinson Avenue. En route are beautiful vistas of the Sound in all its different facets, some inland areas, the Plantation Restaurant, Leamington Caves, and Tom Moore's Tavern.

Holy Trinity Church

Trinity Church Road, Church Bay, Harrington Sound.  This is the third oldest of the Anglican Parish churches in Bermuda, dating back to 1623. The tower and spire were added in the 1890's, gifts of Bermudian William D. Wilkinson, who studied architecture in Toronto, Canada. The bell in the tower was from the foundry of Mencely & Co. of West Troy, New York. Weighing more than 1, 211 pounds, it was places in memory of the Reverend Alexander Ewing, Rector of the Parish from 1791 to 1817. The graveyard overlooking the water is tranquil.

Islands in the parish

• Bay Island. Off the North Shore. The name indicates its proximity to Bailey's Bay, 400 yards to its north. It is accessible to the public. It is also a refuge in the winter for sea birds. It is charming, interesting, small and rocky. It has two small low tide beaches on the southwest side. These catch the full sun only in the morning and up to about 2 pm. There are interesting shells in the shallow water off the southeastern side. To get there, take a bus (the 10 or 11 routes) to the beach at Bailey's Bay. Be a decent swimmer. Wear a pair of old sneakers to protect your feet from the island's sharp rocks. As a safety backup, bring a companion. Use a floating, lightweight, waterproof, plastic or Styrofoam container big enough to carry a camera, wristwatch, towels, street clothes, bus tokens or tickets and food and drink to your taste from a supermarket or deli, or pre packed for you by your hotel. Before you swim, look at the tide table in the daily newspaper. Start out when low tide is in the morning. Walk part of the way out before you hit deep water. You'll find the island well worth your time and trouble, a super site for a picnic and relaxing in the shallow water. Make the journey back to the mainland before high tide, to avoid a strenuous swim. Put your street clothes over your swimsuits and wring out your sneakers before boarding the 10 or 11 bus at the stop nearby.
• Crow Island. East of Trunk Island, Harrington Sound.
• Hall's Island. Very small, north east of Trunk Island, in Harrington Sound. In the 1970s, until 1978, it was the site of an experimental Gibbon ape colony. For a while, they were replaced by eleven macaque monkeys.
• Inner Dumpling. East of Outer Dumpling, Harrington Sound.
• Outer Dumpling. South of Hall's, Harrington Sound.
• Pear Island. Harrington Sound.
• Rabbit Island. Sometimes called Collins Island, perhaps after a family who owned land on the mainland. South west of Trunk Island and Major's Bay in Harrington Sound, it is a nature reserve leased to the Bermuda National Trust, therefore not accessible to the general public. Longtail birds and rabbits are common here.
• Redshank Island. In the extreme south west of Harrington Sound, immediately off Green Bay. It was named after a bird that inhabited shores and nested here, with pale red legs and feet, now the common tern.
• Stags, The. Off Shelly Bay, North Shore.
• Trunk Island.  7 acres. Largest island in Harrington Sound. Mostly privately owned. It was once a summer camp for Bermudians including Girl Guides. There is an annual swimming race to and from there. It has a large house and cottage, a rugged shoreline with a small beach and sheltered coves for small craft. The Bermuda Zoological Society has a habitat restoration effort to replant native and endemic species, cull invasive species and include excursions to Trunk Island in its education and conservation programs.

Close to Harrington Sound, with its center near the junction with Harrington Sound Road and Wilkinson Avenue. A large network of underwater and below-ground caves, some isolated, others part of smaller networks. It includes Crystal Cave and Fantasy Cave, referred to earlier.

Featured on a 2002 80-cent Bermuda postage stamp. It is situated in the grounds of the Grotto Bay Hotel. It is reputed to have been discovered in 1609 by Admiral Sir George Somers. Prospero is a character from "The Tempest" of 1610 by Shakespeare, the true-life details of which are believed to have occured in Bermuda, not a mythical Italian island.

The Hamilton Parish part of this mostly coastal main road stretches from Flatts Inlet, via the Bermuda Aquarium, Natural History Museum and Zoo and Shelly Bay, to Blue Hole Hill and the Causeway. If you're on a moped, you can explore its nooks and crannies, and admire its views. But don't walk it, except in areas with sidewalks, or on parts of the Bermuda Railway Trail nearby. Instead, take the bus. Routes 10 and 11 cover the entire route.

See by name and Parish in Bermuda Cuisine.   

Off the North Shore Road in Shelly Bay, midway between Flatts Bridge and the Shelly Bay Plaza. Bus routes 10 and 11 stop here.  It takes its name from Henry Shelly, an early colonist who lived here. The beach is public, popular, shallow and safe for the family, with some access for the disabled and a disabled-only parking space for a car (not close to the beach). It has shade trees providing welcome relief. It also a popular place for residents to camp out over the Cup Match holidays. The seascape stretches to the Bermuda Royal Naval Dockyard in Sandy's Parish. On windy days, it's a favorite place for wind surfers to fly across the deeper water of the bay, out of range of swimmers. There are  a children's playground and park with many indigenous species of trees and shrubs; and a playing field for several organized sports near a former horse racing track. There is a restaurant on the premises; and parking (the physically handicapped spot is usually abused). Visitors today can see at the adjacent sports field area of the complex, what used to be for many years until the late 1930s, the Shelly Bay horse racing track. It was a particularly popular place for British Army officers stationed in Devonshire or St. Georges, as it was midway between them. In 1937, Oliver Caisey, Sr. (with his race horse Fanny) became the first black jockey at the Shelly Bay race track. His groom was Claude (Poker) Furbert.

Shelley Bay Race track in the old days (long since gone)

St. John's AME Church

Bailey's Bay, corner of Wilkinson Avenue and Harrington Sound Road. Address is 68 Harrington Sound Road. Telephone 293-8606 or fax 293-0087. A stop on the African Diaspora Heritage Trail. Built in the mid 19th century by free blacks including former slaves.

Shelly Bay Plaza

A shopping area, with big food store, pizza restaurant and clothing store.

Swizzle Inn

Restaurant. See by name and Parish in Bermuda Cuisine.   

Tom Moore's Jungle and Tavern

Tom Moore's Jungle is private trust property available for viewing without charge to visitors and residents by the trustees, who also operate the well known Tom Moore's Tavern. It is a charming, romantic, woodland area with beautiful views, worth a visit as one of the very few totally "unspoiled" places left in Bermuda. It demonstrates vividly how Bermuda once looked all over the main island before homes, hotels and other properties dotted and changed the landscape forever. 

Accessible via the Harrington Sound Road and the entrance-way to the restaurant known as Tom Moore's Tavern (see below). Originally known as Walsingham House, once the property of Robert Walsingham, the coxswain of the doomed "Sea Venture" in 1609. Then it was the 17th century estate of Samuel Trott and his family. It was so impressive in British Bermudian colonial architecture that a replica of it was built at Wembley, London, for the Empire Exhibition of 1924. The house was a tavern for 75 years before it was restored and reopened as a restaurant with the "tavern" retained. It and the restaurant - See by name and Parish in Bermuda Cuisine - are named after the famous Irish born British poet Tom Moore, who arrived here in 1804 when he was 24 years old, before he became famous. He lived and worked as Registrar to the Court of the Vice Admiralty. The town of St. George was then still the capital of Bermuda. He described the harbor of the town and parish as the "sweetest miniature of nature that can be imagined." He lived in rented premises on Old Maid's Lane and became notorious as the author of love poems to "Nea" - the 17 year old wife of William Tucker, Marshal of the Court of the Vice Admiralty. But he stayed less than four months. Bermuda and its remoteness were too tame. Later, he came to regret bitterly that he ever set foot in Bermuda. It was because the man who replaced him, or someone else in Bermuda, cheated the Admiralty but Moore was blamed and had to make good the losses. It aged him prematurely and affected his health. After he left Bermuda, he wrote splendid poetry later set to music, one of the most recognizable pieces being the "Last Rose of Summer." The calabash tree immortalized in his "Epistle V" still stands as a stump.

Walsingham Marine Reserve

(Numbers 49 and 50 on your Bermuda National Parks & Nature Reserves Map).

Wilkinson Avenue

This road connects Harrington Sound Road with the North Shore Road. If you access it after visiting, say, the Leamington Caves and Tom Moore's Jungle be sure to note the several very big and beautiful stately homes on the right. Before the junction with the North Shore Road, you'll also see the entrance to the Crystal and Fantasy Caves.

Wilkinson's Cave

Not yet an attraction, although likely in years ahead. It was discovered in early 2002. American cave expert Dr. Tom Iliffe examined in depth in May 2002 Bermuda's newest major find.