Somerset Bridge, 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.

The bridge is mentioned in the acts of Bermuda's first Parliament, held in St. George's on 1 Aug. 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, via a 32 inch bisected plank, allowing the passage of a sailboat's mast. The drawbridge is depicted on a Bermudian banknote.^[3]

The nearby sports club was demolished in October 2008.^[4]

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

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[1] Wilkinson, Henry (1958). The Adventurers of Bermuda (Second ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 138–140.

[2] Harris, Edward (1997). Bermuda Forts, 1612-1957 (First ed.). Bermuda Maritime Museum Press. p. 47.

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