Architectural Highlights

All of Bermuda interests architecture aficionados. Mark Twain wrote of the color of Bermudian houses and roofs: "It is exactly the white of the icing of a cake, and has the same emphasized and scarcely perceptible polish. The white of marble is modest and retiring compared with it . . . clean-cut fanciful chimneys -- too pure and white for this world -- that will charm one's gaze by the hour." For more details and lore, contact the Bermuda National Trust (www.bnt.bm).

The Town of St. George

The oldest and most historic settlement on the island is likely to hold the greatest fascination for architecture buffs.

The Old State House, constructed in 1620, is the oldest stone house on Bermuda. The governor at the time, Nathaniel Butler, had the house built in an Italianate style. He ordered the workmen to use a combination of turtle oil and lime as mortar, a convention seen in many other buildings in Bermuda. You can view the inside of the house on Wednesdays only, from 10am to 4pm. Admission is free.

Many architects have wanted to finish the Unfinished Church, which you can reach using Blockade Alley. Construction began in 1874, but a schism developed in the church, and there was no money to continue the project. To this day, true to its name, it remains unfinished.

The Old Rectory, now a private residence, was built by a former pirate in 1705. Located on Broad Alley, it's distinguished by its Dutch doors, chimneys, shutters, and what's called a "welcoming arms" staircase, which widens in an "embrace" toward the ground level. The rectory is open to visitors November through March only, Wednesday from 1 to 5pm. Admission is free.

From an architectural point of view, one of the most intriguing structures in St. George is St. Peter's Church, on Duke of York Street. This is the oldest Anglican Church in the Western Hemisphere, dating from 1620. It was built to replace an even older structure (from 1612) that had been poorly constructed from posts and palmetto leaves. A storm destroyed the 1620 church in 1712. The present St. Peter's was rebuilt and enlarged in 1713; galleries were added to each side of the church in 1833. The section around the triple-tiered pulpit is believed to be the oldest part of the structure, dating from the 1600s. The first governor of the island, Richard Moore, ordered construction of the dark red Bermuda cedar altar in 1615. It's the oldest surviving piece of woodwork from Bermuda's colonial period.

Tucker House, on Water Street, was built of native limestone. The house is furnished in an interesting manner, mostly with pieces from the mid-1700s and early 1800s. It's open Monday through Saturday from 10am to 4pm. Admission is $3 for adults, $2 for children 6 to 18, free for children 5 and under.

Smith's Parish

Another notable architectural structure is Verdmont, a mansion on Verdmont Lane. Dating from around 1710, it was owned by a wealthy shipowner, and also by the founder of the colony of South Carolina. Other owners included an American Loyalist, John Green, who fled from Philadelphia to Bermuda at the end of the Revolutionary War. Built to resemble an English manor house, Verdmont has a striking double roof and a quartet of large chimneys. Each room has a fireplace. The style of the sash windows was once fashionable in English manor houses.