Old Fort Bay (also Old Fort Bay Club) is a private gated community, club, and former British colonial fort located in northwestern

New Providence Island New Providence is the most populous island in the Bahamas, containing more than 70% of the total population. It is the location of the national capital city of Nassau, whose boundaries are coincident with the island; it had a population of 246 ...

The Bahamas The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to ...

just east of

Lyford Cay Lyford Cay is a private gated community located on the western tip of New Providence island in The Bahamas. The former cay that lent its name to the community is named after Captain William Lyford Jr., a mariner of note in Colonial and Revolutio ...

. The clubhouse itself is the site of a fort that was built by the British during the 18th century to fend off pirates. It was then used as a plantation in the 19th century before being won by James Cox Brady, Jr, the father of

Nicholas F. Brady Nicholas Frederick Brady (born April 11, 1930) is an American politician from the state of New Jersey, who was the United States Secretary of the Treasury under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush, and is also known for articulating ...

in 1920. Following Brady's death, his wife's new husband,

C. Suydam Cutting Charles Suydam Cutting, Order of the British Empire, CBE (January 17, 1889 – August 24, 1972) was an explorer, naturalist, society figure, philanthropist, and author. He travelled around the world on numerous expeditions including the Field Muse ...

took over the property and filled it with treasures from around the world. The fort was abandoned after the widow's death. Restoration and development on a private community and club began in 2002 by British businessman Joe Lewis with the

Tavistock Group Tavistock Group is a Bahamas-based private investment organization founded by Joseph "Joe" Lewis in 1975. Lewis is the primary investor in the company. The company is headquartered in the offshore financial center of The Commonwealth of The Ba ...

and the New Providence Development Company (NPDCo). It opened a year later. H. Hunter "Terry" White III took over in 2011.

Notable residents

Bec Hewitt Rebecca June Hewitt ( Cartwright; born 23 July 1983) is an Australian actress and singer. From 1998 to 2005, Hewitt played Hayley Smith Lawson on the soap opera ''Home and Away''. As Bec Cartwright, Hewitt released an eponymous pop music albu ...

Lleyton Hewitt Lleyton Glynn Hewitt (born 24 February 1981) is an Australian former world No. 1 tennis player. He is the most recent Australian man to win a major singles title, with two at the 2001 US Open and 2002 Wimbledon Championships. In November 200 ...

Shakira Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll ( , ; born 2 February 1977), professionally known by the mononym Shakira, is a Colombian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Barranquilla, she has been referred to as the " Queen of Latin Music" and is ...

Shania Twain Eilleen Regina "Shania" Twain ( , ; née Edwards; born August 28, 1965) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She has sold over 100 million records, making her the best-selling female artist in country music history and one of the best-s ...

Old Fort Bay Town Centre

The Old Fort Bay Town Centre is a shopping plaza located just outside the easternmost gates of Old Fort Bay. It is also the location of Fresh Market.

References

{{reflist 2003 establishments in the Bahamas Bays of the Bahamas Forts in the Bahamas Gated communities New Providence Populated places in the Bahamas Resorts in the Bahamas