Page 127 - Visitor Guides

St. Georges
'
World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
published in 1626. Rebuilt in the 1790s, the Keep served as bar- Forts
racks in the 1800s, and was home to a local family from 1870 until
1922, when the property was returned to the Bermuda Govern- NOT OPEN TO THE PUBLIC:
ment.
’
Forts of St. Davids Island

To see more, travel to St. David’s Island staying on
St. David’s Road to the end (five-minute ride). Head
straight on to Great Bay Road and after 250 yards
take a right turn onto Battery Road. St. David’s
Battery is at the end, in the picturesque Great Head
Park, and Fort Popple is a short walk on.

You’ll see many other forts in the vicinity of the
Fort Popple 9
Town and on islands in St. George’s Harbour and
When Alured Popple became Governor in 1738, he found crum- Castle Harbour, which are not accessible to the
bling masonry, broken gun carriages and rusting guns at most public. Most significant are:
of Bermuda’s forts. Governor Popple energetically refortified the
Island by repairing the existing defences and building several
new forts, including the small fort at Little Head, St. David’s. It was King’s Castle 11
named Fort Popple in his honour. Fort Popple’s position, close to
the sea, made it unsuitable for further development but, in the King’s Castle (1612) is located on
early 1900s, a searchlight was placed on the flat behind the fort. Castle Island and is Bermuda’s oldest
Walk the nature trails in the splendid natural setting of Little Head fort, with a Captain’s House added
Park, St. David’s and enjoy the breathtaking ocean views from Fort in 1621. It is believed to be the
Popple, situated at the water’s edge of the rocky St. David’s coast. oldest standing English house in the
New World.

St. David’s Battery 10
Fort Cunningham 8
St. David’s Battery (1910) was the
last major fortification to be built in Fort Cunningham (1870s) is located
the vicinity of St. George’s. The two on Paget Island and has a unique
major British breech-loading guns iron frontage. This was so expensive
of the early 1900s situated side-by- to build that a question was raised
side in the batteries make about it in the British Parliament, “Is
St. David’s Battery one of the world’s it made of gold?”
most important British historic military sites. The 9.2-inch breech-
loading guns at the southern end of the Battery had a range of
approximately seven miles and could have stopped an enemy Fort William 4
vessel well short of the Island. But they were never fired in anger Constructed in the early 1600s by Richard Moore, the first
and, because of complaints from civilians living nearby, were sel-
Governor of Bermuda, Fort William was built to protect the Town
dom fired even in practice! Nearby Fort Popple affords breathtak-
of St. George. Fort William had an inner keep or a fort house with
ing ocean views.
three floors and surrounded by a dry moat.

25 25 26