Walking Tour 2

Historic St. George Town

Start: King's Square.

Finish: Somers Wharf.

Time: 2 hours, not counting the time you spend inside the buildings.

Best Time: Any sunny day except Sunday, when many destinations are closed.

Worst Time: When a cruise ship is anchored in the harbor.

At the eastern end of Bermuda, St. George was the second English town established in the New World (after Jamestown, Virginia). For the history buff, it holds more interest than the City of Hamilton.

We'll begin the tour at:

1. King's Square

Also known as Market Square and King's Parade, the square is the very center of St. George. Only about 200 years old, it's not as historic as St. George itself. This was formerly a marshy part of the harbor -- at least when the shipwrecked passengers and crew of the Sea Venture first saw it. At the water's edge stands a branch of the Visitors Service Bureau, where you can pick up additional information on the area. On the square you'll notice a replica of a pillory and stocks. The devices were used to punish criminals -- and, in many cases, the innocent. You could be severely punished here for such "crimes" as casting a spell over your neighbor's turkeys.

From the square, head south across the small bridge to:

2. Ordnance Island

The British army once stored gunpowder and cannons on this island, which extends into St. George's Harbour. Today, the island houses the Deliverance, a replica of the vessel that carried the shipwrecked Sea Venture passengers on to Virginia. Alongside the vessel is a ducking stool, a contraption used in 17th-century witch trials.

Retrace your steps across the bridge to King's Square. On the waterside stands the:

3. White Horse Tavern

This restaurant juts out into St. George's Harbour. Consider the tavern as a possible spot for lunch later. For now, we'll focus on its history: It was once the home of John Davenport, who came to Bermuda in 1815 to open a dry goods store. Davenport was a bit of a miser; upon his death, some £75,000 ($148,571) in gold and silver was discovered stashed away in his cellar.

Across the square stands the:

4. Town Hall

Located near the Visitors Service Bureau, this is the meeting place of the corporation governing St. George. It has antique cedar furnishings and a collection of photographs of previous lord mayors. Bermuda Journey, a multimedia audiovisual presentation, is shown here several times a day.

From King's Square, head east along King Street, cutting north (left) on Bridge Street. You'll come to the:

5. Bridge House

Constructed in the 1690s, this was once the home of several governors of Bermuda. Located at 1 Bridge St., it's furnished with 18th- and 19th-century antiques and houses an art gallery and souvenir shop.

Return to King Street and continue east to the:

6. Old State House

The Old State House opens onto Princess Street, at the top of King Street. This is the oldest stone building in Bermuda, dating from 1620, and was once the home of the Bermuda Parliament. It's the site of the Peppercorn Ceremony, in which the Old State House pays the government a "rent" of one peppercorn annually.

Continue your stroll down Princess Street until you come to Duke of York Street and the entrance to:

7. Somers Garden

The heart of Sir George Somers, the admiral of the Sea Venture, is buried here. The gardens, opened in 1920 by the Prince of Wales, contain palms and other tropical plants.

Walk through Somers Gardens and up the steps to the North Gate onto Blockade Alley. Climb the hill to the structure known as "the folly of St. George's," the:

8. Unfinished Church

This cathedral was intended to replace St. Peter's Church (stop no. 12 on this tour). Work began on the church in 1874, but ended when the church was beset by financial difficulties and a schism in the Anglican congregation.

After viewing the cathedral, turn left onto Duke of Kent Street, which leads down to the:

9. St. George's Historical Society Museum

Located at Featherbed Alley and Duke of Kent Street, the museum building is an example of the rather plain 18th-century Bermudian architecture. It contains a collection of Bermudian historical artifacts and cedar furniture.

Around the corner on Featherbed Alley is the:

10. Featherbed Alley Printery

Here you can see a working replica of the type of printing press invented by Johannes Gutenberg in Germany in the 1450s.

Go up Featherbed Alley and straight onto Church Street. At the junction with Broad Lane, look to your right to see the:

11. Old Rectory

The Old Rectory is located at the head of Broad Alley, behind St. Peter's Church. Now a private home administered by the National Trust, it was built in 1705 by a reformed pirate. You can go inside only on Wednesdays from noon to 5pm.

After seeing the Old Rectory, go through the church's backyard, opposite Broad Alley, to reach:

12. St. Peter's Church

The church's main entrance is on Duke of York Street. St. Peter's is believed to be the oldest Anglican place of worship in the Western Hemisphere. In the churchyard, you'll see many headstones, some 300 years old. The assassinated governor, Sir Richard Sharples, was buried here. The present church was built in 1713, with a tower added in 1814.

Across the street is the:

13. Bermuda National Trust Museum

When it was the Globe Hotel, this was the headquarters of Maj. Norman Walker, the Confederate representative in Bermuda. It was once a hotbed of blockade running (artillery smuggling during the Civil War).

Go west along Duke of York Street to:

14. Barber's Alley & Petticoat Lane

Barber's Alley honors Joseph Hayne Rainey. A former slave from South Carolina, Rainey fled to Bermuda with his French wife at the outbreak of the Civil War. He became a barber in St. George and eventually returned to South Carolina, where in 1870 he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives -- the first African American to serve in Congress.

Nearby is Petticoat Lane, also known as Silk Alley. The name dates from the 1834 emancipation, when two former slave women who'd always wanted silk petticoats like their former mistresses finally purchased some -- and paraded up and down the lane to show off their new finery.

Continue west until you reach:

15. Tucker House

Opening onto Water Street, this was the former home of a prominent Bermudian family, whose members included an island governor, a treasurer of the United States, and a captain in the Confederate Navy. The building houses an excellent collection of antiques, including silver, portraits, and cedar furniture. One room is devoted to memorabilia of Joseph Hayne Rainey.

Take A Break -- Near Tucker House is the family-friendly Café Gio, 36 Water St. (tel. 441/297-1307), with its outdoor terrace overlooking the harbor. It features everything from an ice-cream parlor to a pizza oven, and even full meals, in its tutti-frutti-colored dining room.

End your tour across the street at:

16. Somers Wharf

This multimillion-dollar waterfront restoration project contains shops, restaurants, and taverns.