Video: Take A Virtual Trip To Castle Island
This video from our new sister site ForeverBermuda.com shows a trip through the waters of Bermuda’s southeastern shoreline, revealing not only the picturesque scenery, but also the series of islands and islets that lie across Castle Harbour, some of which hold aged fortifications that once protected St. George’s.
The town of St. George’s and its fortifications have earned it the distinct status of being a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with UNESCO calling the area “an outstanding example of a continuously occupied, fortified, colonial town dating from the early 17th century, and the oldest English town in the New World.”
Frick’s Point [also called Castle Point] which is adjacent to Castle Island:
According to the UNESCO World Heritage Site nomination form [PDF/36 Pages], immediately upon the establishment of the town of St. George’s in August 1612, the Governor set about erecting fortifications for the defence of the settlement, including the building of three forts on Charles and Castle Islands to defend the Castle Harbour area.
Marking the beginning of the coastal defence of the British Empire overseas, the surviving forts on Castle and Southampton Islands were the first English masonry fortifications in the Americas and are the oldest standing English forts in not only the New World, but the entire overseas empire.
Three 17th century forts are still standing on Castle Island, while a fourth, built with timber, was burnt to the ground in 1619.
One of the structures, dubbed The King’s Castle, is a masonry fort fronting the sea. It originally had an upper and lower battery, and in 1621, a home was built for the Captain, a building which may represent the oldest standing English house in the New World.
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Big shark roll through there at nite be careful swimming there at night, generally they won’t bother you,they eat well,I have had them swim right up to me and there is just regard ….but at night they get a bit friskey.
@ Ignoramus….
Very true Hamma, I have seen some big Hammerheads and other species there at night. I’ve caught quite a few sharks there as well.
My brother caught a Seven foot Thresher Shark (nose to base of tail by the way) next to Castle Island one night, as well as two six foot reef sharks.
Congrats on the new site Bernews! You guys are truly the best at what you do!!!
Government does not realize how much damage it has done to The Tourist product of St George’s. By not allowing boats to pass into Castle Harbor from ferry reach. The tour boat industry from St George’s would use these islands as the place to go for snorkeling, swimming or even just viewing these forts, the rich and famous houses and the historic stories of these forts.
It is really a million dollar industry being lost. For boats to go on the out side of South Shore the weather makes it so unpredictable the consistency makes it almost not doable. To repear the bridges both longbird
And swing bridge would turn around the tour boat industry in St George’s. This is a shot in the arm that St George’s could use so bad. To talk about building a hotel in St George’s and not talk about repairing these bridge is crazy. So I guess when the hotel guess want to go snorkeling they will have to go to Dockyard for a adventure on a boat including snorkeling why when if these bridges were fix we have properly the most remote and beautiful spot on the island in the parish of St George’s that is difficult to get to.
The basis of your argument is SERIOUSLY flawed!
The bridge is slated to be closed till next spring so that work can be performed on it during this summer. The hotel won’t be built for at least for TWO YEARS! Simply incredulous how positively A$$-BACKWARDS some folks can be.
If the PLP had been more concerned about putting money into the countries INFRASTRUCTURE, the swing bridge, the “Bailey Bridge”, the crappy roads, the decrepit buses, the lack of properly maintained ferries, and the bathrooms at John’s Smith Bay (destroyed during HURRICANE FABIAN and just now being fixed by the OBA)and the most recognized Bermudian icon, the Gibbs Hill Lighthouse which was repaired for far less than the $500,000 the PLP “claimed” it would cost.
beautiful