Somerset Bridge, Bermuda

Drawbridge in Bermuda

Somerset Bridge is a small bridge in Bermuda connecting Somerset Island with the mainland in the western parish of Sandys, Somerset Bridge is reputedly the smallest working drawbridge in the world. It crosses a small channel connecting the Great Sound with Ely's Harbour.

The bridge is mentioned in the acts of Bermuda's first parliament, held in St. George's on 1 August 1620. Bridges were to be constructed at Somerset, the Flatts, and Coney Island. Additionally, the road from Somerset to Warwick was to be improved, and extended to Castle Point.^[1] The bridge appears on a 1624 map of Bermuda.^[2]

The bridge is opened by hand, creating a 32-inch gap that allows the passage of a sailboat's mast. The drawbridge is depicted on a Bermudian banknote.^[3]

Notes

^ Wilkinson, Henry (1958). The Adventurers of Bermuda (Second ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 138–140.
^ Harris, Edward (1997). Bermuda Forts, 1612-1957 (First ed.). Bermuda Maritime Museum Press. p. 47.
^ "Somerset Bridge Information". 20 September 2012.

32°16.713′N 64°52.593′W / 32.278550°N 64.876550°W / 32.278550; -64.876550

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