Bermuda: Belvedere Place Moongate - Hamilton, Pembroke Parish

Belvedere Place Moongate

Hamilton, Pembroke Parish

Bermuda

N32° 17.483 W64° 47.398

Short Description: 

This moongate at Belvedere Place on Pitts Bay Road leads from the sidewalk, two steps down, into a courtyard.

Long Description: 

This moongate is attached to a  wall on either side. The keystone arch opening is made of limestone blocks.

A sign to the right of the moongate is inscribed:

Story of the Moongate

 Legend says ... honeymooners

should walk through the 

moongate and make a wish! 

If you are not a honeymooner, 

make a wish anyway!

Bermuda: Bacardi Fountain - Hamilton, Pembroke Parish

Bacardi Ltd. Fountain

Hamilton, Pembroke Parish

Bermuda

N 32° 17.500 W 064° 47.465

Short Description: 

The Bacardi Fountain is located at the Bacardi Corporate Headquarters at 65 Pitts Bay Road in Hamilton, Bermuda.

Long Description:

The Bacardi Fountain is located on the grounds of Bacardi Limited in Hamilton. Signs indicate permission is granted to enter the grounds to solely view the fountain.

The fountain is an 80' long U-shape with 20' long by 15' high cascades of water on each side of the U-shape. Water pours down from each cascade from three gates into a large ground level pool that extends the full length of the fountain and into the recess in between the cascades. When functioning,, jets of water rise up from nozzles placed in the central section.

Bermuda: H.M.S. Jervis Bay Memorial - Hamilton, Pembroke Parish

Capt. E.S.F. Fegen, Officers, and Crew 

of

 H.M.S Jervis Bay

Hamilton, Bermuda

N 32° 17.467 W 064° 47.211

Short Description: 

A monument honoring the Captain and crew of the H.M.S. Jervis Bay is located in Albouy's Point, in Hamilton, Bermuda.

Long Description:

A monument in the form of a sundial honors the heroism of the Captain, Officers, and Ship's Company of the H.M.S. Jervis Bay for their actions in the North Atlantic during World War II. The base of the sundial contains a bronze plaque with the following inscription:

REMEMBER

CAPTAIN E.S.F. FEGEN V.C.

ROYAL NAVY, THE OFFICERS

AND SHIP'S COMPANY OF

H.M.S. "JERVIS BAY"

WHO CHEERFULLY GAVE THEIR 

LIVES IN SUCCESSFUL DEFENCE

OF THEIR CONVOY, FIGHTING THEIR

SHIP TO THE LAST AGAINST 

HOPELESS OFDDS. NOV. 5TH 1940.

"BE THOU FAITHFUL UNTO DEATH."

REV. II. 10.

H.M.S. Jervis Bay was a British liner which was converted into an armed merchant cruiser and assigned to protect merchant convoys crossing the the North Atlantic. On 5 November 1940 the German pocket battleship Admiral Scheer attacked the convoy. Captain Fegen ordered the convoy to disperse and then attacked the battleship even though it was hopelessly outgunned and outranged by the guns of the German battleship. The Jervis Bay sailed towards the battleship while firing upon it to draw fire away from the convoy. The H.M.S. Jervis Bay was shelled and sunk but the convoy escaped. Of 254 members of the crew, 68 survivors were picked up by the neutral Swedish ship Stureholm.

Captain Fegen was awarded the Victoria Cross, posthumous, for this action. The citation for his award reads:

"for valour in challenging hopeless odds and giving his life to save the many ships it was his duty to protect. On the 5th of November, 1940, in heavy seas, Captain Fegen, in His Majesty's Armed Merchant Cruiser Jervis Bay, was escorting thirty-eight Merchantmen. Sighting a powerful German warship he at once drew clear of the Convoy, made straight for the Enemy, and brought his ship between the Raider and her prey, so that they might scatter and escape. Crippled, in flames, unable to reply, for nearly an hour the Jervis Bay held the German's fire. So she went down: but of the Merchantmen all but four or five were saved."

Bermuda: General Post Office - Hamilton, Pembroke Parish

General Post Office

Hamilton, Pembroke Parish

Bermuda

N 32° 17.649 W 064° 46.929

Short Description: 

The General Post Office in Hamilton is the main post office in Bermuda. It is located at 56 Church, Street.

Long Description:

The modern style, three story, General Post Office in Hamilton is the countries main postal facility. It opened in 1967 to replace the 19th century postal facility in Hamilton. It is conveniently located across the street of the Sessions House, the Bermuda House of Assembly. The General Post Office works in conjunction with the Bermuda Mail Processing Centre on Kindley Field Road, St. George's parish which is used processing all mail for island wide distribution.

Hours of Operation

Monday to Friday, 8:00am - 5:00pm

Telephone: 441-297 7893

Bermuda: Bird Cage - Hamilton, Pembroke Parish

Bird Cage

Hamilton, Pembroke Parish

Bermuda

N 32° 17.522 W 064° 47.161

Short Description: 

The Bird Cage is located at the intersection of Front Street and Front Street Extension (which turns into Pitts Bay Road) and Queen Street.

Long Description:

The Bird Cage is an iconic structure on Front Street in Hamilton, Bermuda. It gets it's name from Hamilton's first city engineer, Geoffrey ‘Dickie’ Bird. From within this blue and white painted bird-cage-like structure in the middle of heavily traveled street junction in downtown Hamilton Bermuda policemen direct traffic, often with great showmanship. According to the designer of the Bird Cage, Geoffrey ‘Dickie’ Bird, the Bird Cage was built after “seeing a policeman standing there and realising he needed to be protected from the elements.”

The Bird Cage is considered to be a place of historical and cultural importance. Geoffrey ‘Dickie’ Bird died in 2011.

The stamp was issued by Bermuda in 1979 s part of a series of four stamps commemorating the centenary of the Bermuda Police.

p.s. The blue building across the street from the Bird Cage (as seen in the stamp and setting is may also be of interest to tourists and locals alike. It's the corporate headquarters and outlet store of Gosling Brothers Limited the maker of Gosling Rum, one of Bermuda's most famous products.

Bermuda: Victoria Park Bandstand - Hamilton, Pembroke Parish

Victoria Park Bandstand

Hamilton, Pembroke Parish

Bermuda

N 32° 17.743 W 064° 47.095

Short Description: 

An ornate iron bandstand is the focal point of Victoria Park in Hamilton, Bermuda.

Long Description:

A 40' diameter ornate iron band stand is located in the northwest quadrant of Victoria Park in Hamilton, Bermuda. The bandstand was built in Scotland and erected in the park in 1899. It was used by British regimental bands to play concerts. By 2008, the bandstand fell into disrepair and it was shipped back to Scotland for restoration. In April 2009 the newly refurbished bandstand was returned to Victoria Park. Concerts are performed during the summer and in December just before Christmas.

The stamp was issued by Bermuda in 2001 as part of a series of four stamps depicting the paintings of Bermudian artist Charles Lloyd Tucker. The building behind the bandstand is Hamilton City Hall which is immediately south of Victoria Park although screened by trees and not nearly as prominent as in the painting.

Bermuda: Praying Mantis Fountain - Hamilton, Pembroke Parish

Praying Mantis Fountain

Queen Elizabeh Park

Hamilton, Pembroke Parish

Bermuda

N 32° 17.563 W 064° 47.210

Short Description: 

A praying mantis is the focal point of this fountain located in Queen Elizabeth Park, formerly Par-la-Ville, in Hamilton, Bermuda.

Long Description:

A larger than life praying mantis is perched on top of an equally large water plant at the Praying Mantis Fountain in Queen Elizabeth Park. Water flows into a pond to the right of the sculpture, then under a concrete pathway into the pond that contains the sculpture.

A plaque next to the sculpture gives the background information about the fountain. It is inscribed:

Berthold Schiwetz

American, 1909 - 1973

Praying Mantis Fountain

bronze

Collection of the Bermuda National Gallery

Gift of John Hinson Young II and Nelga Vivian Young

Berthold Schiwetz studied sculpture at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in

Michigan under Carl Milles, Swedish sculptor known for his fountains.

He accompanied Milles to Italy where Schiwetz learned how to use water

as a sculptural design element in his fountains. This aspect, as

well as his fondness for the animals and insects he played with as a little

boy, is readily evident here in his whimsical Praying Mantis Fountain.

Bermuda: Queen Elizabeth Park Pergola - Hamilton, Pembroke Parish

Pergola

Queen Elizabeth Park 

Hamilton, Pembroke Parish 

Bermuda

N 32° 17.552 W 064° 47.220

Short Description: 

The pergola in Queen Elizabeth Park is located near the center of the park where the main walkways cross.

Long Description:

The gardens at Queen Elizabeth Park, formerly Par-La-Ville, were originally part of the estate of William B. Perot, the first Post Master of Bermuda. The rolling hills of the park contain: sculptures, rock gardens, flower beds, and shade trees. In the 19th Century, the park was orange orchard.

50' long wooden pergola is located on the north-south walkway just before it encounters the main east-west walkway. The pergola is covered with vines and Bougainvillea flowers. Wooden benches provide a shady retreat in the center of the pergola.

Bermuda: Spirit of Joanna - Hamilton, Pembroke Parish

Spirit of Joanna
Queen Elizabeth Park

Hamilton, Pembroke Parish

Bermuda

N 32° 17.570 W 064° 47.216

Short Description: 

The figurative sculpture named Spirit of Joanna is located in Queen Elizabeth Park in Hamilton, Bermuda.

Long Description:

A life size bronze sculpture of a young woman is standing on a circular rock platform with her left foot in front of her right. The woman is wearing a calf length dress with a belt around her waist. She is looking over her left shoulder and her hair is swept back over her right shoulder. Her right hand is on her hip and she is holding a basket in her right hand by her right side.

The sculpture is located on a sloping, densely vegetated area of Queen Elizabeth Park. Spirit of Joanna was created by local Bermuda sculptor Desmond Fountain in 1993. It is listed as part of the collection of the Bermuda National Gallery.
Name: Spirit of Joanna

Bermuda: Student a Shona Sculpture - Hamilton, Pembroke Parish

Student
Queen Elizabeth Park

Hamilton, Pembroke Parish

Bermuda

N 32° 17.564 W 064° 47.218

Short Description: 

The Shona style sculpture, "Student", is located in Queen Elizabeth Park in Hamilton, Bermuda.
Location: Bermuda

Long Description:

Jonothan Mhondorohuma has carved "Student" a 4' high seated figure from springstone a variety of black serpentine. The "Student" is sitting on a 1.5' cubic limestone base set on top of a 6" high square floor level base. The barefooted figure is wearing a textured one piece outfit. The right hand of the student is placed on the right side of his bald round head. His right elbow is resting on an open book that he is holding on his lap with his left hand.

A sign on the side of the base gives background material. It is inscribed:

Jonothan Mhondorohuma

Zimbabwean, 1974

"Student" from the Book Reader Series, 2006

springstone

Collection of the Bermuda National Gallery

Gift of Dusty Hind and Barara O'Shaughnessy

Shona Sculpture, also called Zimbanwe Sculpture is widely

accepted as the most important art movement to emerge from

Africa in the twentieth century. Mhondorohuma's subject matter

is seen as classical and innovative almost always involving 

human activity and ranging from cultural Shona customs to daily

life. His "Book Reader" series in particular has received wide

acclaim and is currently an area he continues to explore. He is

currently a widely exhibiting artist and is regarded as one of the

major talents of the Shona sculptors.

Bermuda: Queen Elizabeth Park Moongate - Hamilton, Pembroke Parish

Moongate

Queen Elizabeth Park

Hamilton, Pembroke Parish

Bermuda

GPS: N32° 17.529 W64° 47.221

Short Description:

The Queen Elizabeth Park Moongate is reached by climbing up the steps off Par-La-Ville Road in Hamilton, Bermuda.

Long Description:

The Par-La-Ville Road entrance is on the west side of Queen Elizabeth Park. After you climb the steps  you will pass through Bermuda's oldest limestone Moongate. This circular opening in the limestone wall has a beautiful wrought iron gate. Legend says that moongates bring good luck for those, particularly couples, who pass though them. Another legend states that newlyweds  that pass through a moongate will be assured a long and happy life together.

Bermuda: David Wall (Jeté), - Hamilton, Pembroke Parish

David Wall (Jeté)
Queen Elizabeth Park

Hamilton, Pembroke Parish, 

Bermuda

N 32° 17.542 W 064° 47.212

Short Description: 

A sculpture of ballet dancer David Wall performing the ballet move known Jeté is located in Queen Elizabeth Park, Hamilton, Bermuda.

Long Description:

A life-size bronze sculpture of ballet dancer David Wall performing the ballet move known as Jeté, a jump in which the dancer springs from one foot to land on the other with one leg extended outward from the body while in the air, is displayed on a 5' high stone pedestal. Both his arms and legs are outstretched as he is depicted in mid air. He is wearing ballet shoes, tight ballet shorts, and a large, flowing, cloth wrapped around his waist. The cloth is attached to the bronze plinth and supports the sculpture.

A sign on the pedestal is give details of the sculpture, the artist and David Wall. It is inscribed:

Enzo Plazzotta

Italian, 1921 - 1981

Jeté, 1975, cast 1978

bronze, edition 4/9

Collection of the Bermuda National Gallery

Gift of John Hinson Young II and Nelga Vivian Young

Enzo Plazzotta's sculpture Jeté depicts dancer David Wall, a former Principle

dancer with the Royal Ballet and now Ballet Master with the English National

ballet, in a ballet move know as Jeté. Initially a student of architecture and

sculpture, Enzo Plazzotta established himself as a portrait sculptor but found

this field limiting and experimental with his fascination with movement. Fonteyn, 

Nerina, and Dowell were among the many dancers who modeled for him. Another

cast of the sculpture is on the Millbank at Westminster in London, England.

David Wall was born in Chiswick, London on March 15, 1946. He studied at the Royal Ballet School and subsequently joined the Royal Ballet. At the age of 21, became the youngest male Principal in the history of The Royal Ballet. In 1977, he won the Evening Standard Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance. Wall retired from The Royal Ballet in 1984 and was awarded the Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE). He died of cancer in Croydon, London, on June 18, 2013.

Bermuda: Woman with a Cloak - Hamilton, Pembroke Parish

Woman with a Cloak

Queen Elizabeth Park

Hamilton, Pembroke Parish

Bermuda

N 32° 17.530 W 064° 47.206

Quick Description: 

Woman with a Cloak is located in Queen Elizabeth Park in Hamilton, Bermuda.

Long Description:

Woman ith a Cloak is a 6' tall bronze statue of a female figure dressed in a single piece cloak tied with a rope at the neckline. She is standing on a circular 3' high limestone block platform that is part of a low wall. She has her hair parted in the center and is balancing a pottery jug on her left shoulder with her left hand. Her right arm in covered by the cloak. The sculpture was created by Mexican sculptor Victor Hugo Castañeda in 1988.

A sign on the circular platform is inscribed:

"Woman with a Cloak"

Victor Hugo Castañeda 

b. Mexico, 1947

Collection of The Bermuda National Gallery

Bermuda: Queen Elizabeth Park - Hamilton, Pembroke Parish

Queen Elizabeth Park

Hamilton, Pembroke Parish 

Bermuda

N 32° 17.552 W 064° 47.192

Short Description: 

Bermuda commemorated the Diamond Jubilee of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II by renaming Par-la-Ville in Hamilton, Bermuda - Queen Elizabeth Park. The main entrance is in Queen Street north of Front Street.

Long Description:

The gardens at what is now Queen Elizabeth Park were originally part of the estate of William B. Perot, the first Post Master of Bermuda. The rolling hills of the park contain:  sculptures, rock gardens, flower beds, and shade trees. In the 19th Century, the park was orange orchard.

On February 6, 1952 Queen Elizabeth II was crowned Queen of the United Kingdom and the British Commonwealth of Nations. The year 2012 was the 60th anniversary, the Diamond Jubilee, of her accession. A multinational celebration took place throughout 2012 to celebrate her Diamond Jubilee.

In the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda the Par-la-Ville, main park in the capital City of Hamilton was renamed Queen Elizabeth Park. A bronze plaque was placed at the Queen Street entrance to the park which contains the coat of arms of Bermuda and the inscription:

Queen Elizabeth Park

In Commemoration of the 

Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II

Unveiled on Her Majesty's Birthday

April 21st 2012

Bermuda: Tucker House - St. George, St. George's Parish

Tucker House

St. George, St. George's Parish

Bermuda

N 32° 22.833 W 064° 40.700

Short Description: 

The Tucker House is the prominent feature on this Bermuda stamp that shows the view on 5 Water Street in St. George looking west.

Long Description:

The Tucker House Museum at 5 Water Street was built in the 1750s. It was acquired in 1775 by prominent resident Henry Tucker who was President of the Governor’s Council from 1775 to 1807. His family occupied the house until 1809. The house contains the family collection of silver, china, crystal, antique English mahogany and Bermuda cedar furniture as well a a collection of hand sewn quilts.

The museum is open Wednesday to Saturday 11am - 3pm. Admission is $5. The property is administered by the Bermuda National Trust.

The stamp is part of a set of 6 stamps issued by Bermuda in 2001 depicting historical tourist attractions in St. George.

Bermuda:St. George Post Office - St. George, St. George's Parish

St. George Post Office

St. George, St. George's Parish

Bermuda

N 32° 22.838 W 064° 40.688

Quick Description: 

The historic parish post office in St. George's, Bermuda is located at 11 Water Street in the downtown area of the Town of St. George.

Long Description:

The St. George's Parish Post Office is on the site of the Town's first jail. It was originally built in 1622 and completely rebuilt in 1760. The two story limestone building has three arched openings on the east side, four arched windows and two unused arched openings on the south side. The second floor has a wrap around balcony with openings enclosed by an iron railing. The building now serves as the main parish post office. A free internet kiosk is available inside.

Hours: Monday - Friday 08:00-17:00

The stamp was issued by Bermuda in 1977 as part of a series of five stamps commemorating Bermuda's membership in the Universal Postal Union. It show the building looked circa 1860. It's architecture is substantially unchanged today, with some minor modifications.

Bermuda: Globe Hotel from the Steps of St. Peter's Church - St. George

Globe Hotel from the 

Steps of St. Peter's Church

St. George, St. George's Parish

Bermuda

N 32° 22.882 W 064° 40.647

Short Description: 

The view depicted on the stamp is facing east along Duke of York Street towards the north side of the Globe Hotel from the steps St. Peter's Church.

Long Description:

The stamp issued by Bermuda in 1962 depicts a street scene in the UNESCO World Heritage Town of St. George. Two features of the stamp identify the location. The large building on the right is easily identified by the distinctive pair of large chimneys as the Globe Hotel. The lamppost at the left of the stamp is on the stairway to St. Peter's Church.

During the Civil War the U.K. was officially neutral but sentiment in the U.K. as divided. However, trade continued with both the Union and the Confederacy. The U.K. relied on cotton from the Confederacy to supply its textile mills but a Union blockage was in effect. Nonetheless, blockade runners managed to ship munitions to the South and cotton to the U.K.

Today the Globe Hotel is a museum operated Bermuda National Trust Museum, it features an exhibit called Rogues and Runners: Bermuda and the American Civil War.

The Globe Hotel in St. George, Bermuda was the home of a Confederate Major that facilitated the blockade runners. A blue plaque on east chimney on the Duke of York Street side of the Globe Hotel is inscribed:

GLOBE HOTEL

1700

From this building Confederate shipping agent

Major Norman Walker coordinated the flow of guns,

ammunition and other supplies through the Union 

blockade during the Civil War

HERITAGE SIGN SPONSORED BY THE ST. GEORGE'S FOUNDATION

Bermuda: Somers Garden Moongate - St. George, St. George's Parish, Bermuda

Somers Garden Moongate

St. George, St. George's Parish

Bermuda

N 32° 22.940 W 064° 40.541

Short Description: 

A freestanding moongate is located in the back entrance to Somers Garden at Blockade Alley in St.

Long Description:

Moongates originate in China and brought to Bermuda in the late 19th century by British inhabitants. The moongates of Bermuda are made of Bermuda limestone. Many are freestanding gates used as entryways in parks and gardens. According to local legend it is good luck for newlyweds to walk through the gates.

The moongate in Somers park has a bronze plaque which is inscribed:

This moongate was erected in loving memory of

David F. Raine 1941 - 2004

By his wife Jill and good friend Arthur Clinton

Pause beneath this moongate for good luck and happiness.