Castle Harbour is a large natural harbour in

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. It is located between the northeastern end of the main island and St. David's Island. Originally called ''Southampton Port'', it was renamed as a result of its heavy fortification in the early decades of the Seventeenth century.

Geography

Castle Harbour is surrounded by St. George's Parish to the north, east, and south, as well as

Hamilton Parish Hamilton Parish (originally Bedford Parish) is one of the nine parishes of Bermuda. It was renamed for Scottish aristocrat James Hamilton, 2nd Marquess of Hamilton (1589-1625) when he purchased the shares originally held in the Virginia Company ...

to the west. A chain of islands and rocks stretches across the main opening to the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

, in the east, notably Cooper's Island (which was made a landmass contiguous to St. David's Island and Longbird Island in the 1940s), and

Nonsuch Island Nonsuch Island (originally Nonesuch Island) is part of the chain of islands which make up Bermuda. It is in St George's Parish, in the northeast of Bermuda. It is 5.7 ha (14 acres) in area and is at the east entrance to Castle Harbour, close to ...

. The only channel suitable for large vessels to enter the harbour from the open Atlantic is Castle Roads, which was historically guarded by a number of fortifications, on Castle Island, Southampton Island, and Charles Island. Forts were also placed nearby on other small islands, and on the Tucker's Town peninsula of the Main Island. In the west,

The Causeway The Causeway is an arterial traffic crossing in Perth, Western Australia, linking the inner-city suburbs of East Perth and Victoria Park. It is carried over the Swan River at the eastern end of Perth Water by two bridges on either side of ...

crosses from the main island to St. David's Island, and beyond this a stretch of water known as

Ferry Reach Ferry Reach is a three mile (five kilometre) long channel in the north-east of Bermuda, which lies between St. George's Island in the north and St. David's Island in the south south-west of the town of St. George's. It extends south from St. G ...

connects the harbour with St. George's Harbour to the north, where Bermuda's first permanent settlement, St. George's Town, was founded in 1612. An unincorporated settlement, Tucker's Town, was established on the peninsula of the Main Island at the south-west of the harbour. The settlement was cleared by

compulsory purchase order A compulsory purchase order (CPO; , ) is a legal function in the United Kingdom and Ireland that allows certain bodies to obtain land or property without the consent of the owner. It may be enforced if a proposed development is considered one for p ...

in the 1920s in order to create a luxury enclave where homes could be purchased by wealthy foreigners, and the attendant Mid Ocean Golf Club. In

, on the western shore of the harbour, lies Walsingham Bay, the site where, in 1609-10, the crew of the wrecked ''

Sea Venture ''Sea Venture'' was a seventeenth-century English sailing ship, part of the Third Supply mission to the Jamestown Colony, that was wrecked in Bermuda in 1609. She was the 300 ton purpose-built flagship of the London Company and a highly unusual ...

'' built the ''Patience'', one of two ships built, which carried most of the survivors of the wrecking to Jamestown,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, in 1610. The ''Patience'' returned to Bermuda with Admiral Sir George Somers, who died in Bermuda later that year. There are many islands and beach areas in the harbour, and numerous subterranean waterways link its waters with that of

Harrington Sound Harrington Sound is a large inland body of water in the northeast of the main island of Bermuda. It is surrounded by the main island on all sides, only appearing open to the ocean via a small channel called Flatt's Inlet in the southwest. Much o ...

in the southwest, notably Crystal Cave.

Climate

Castle Islands

PSM V60 D034 Ruined fort on castle island bermuda

Several of the islands were fortified in the early days of the territory, hence the harbour's name. When official settlement of the archipelago by England began in 1612 (unofficial settlement having begun with the 1609 wrecking of the ''

'') the first permanent town, St. George's (then called ''New London'') was placed on the north side of St. George's Harbour. St. George's Harbour could be accessed directly by channels from the East. Those channels, however, were shallow, suitable, originally, only for small ships. As a consequence, and despite any major settlement on its shores, Castle Harbour was an important anchorage in the early years of the colony, with its main entrance, Castle Roads being an important route in from the open Atlantic for shipping. It was also a weakpoint, as it was remote from the defences of St. George's Harbour, and difficult to reach. It was quickly fortified and garrisoned by a standing militia.Adventure guide to Bermuda – Google Books
/ref> Initial fortification by the Virginia Company's (Bermuda was originally settled as an extension of

) first deliberate settlers in 1612, was around the inlets to St. George's Harbour, but by the end of that year work had commenced on Castle Harbour's defences, starting at Castle Island (previously called ''Gurnett's Head'', and ''King's Island''. As a temporary measure, two guns had been salvaged from the 1609 wreck of the ''

'', one of which was installed on Castle Island ) in 1612. Proper fortifications were soon raised under the instructions of Governor Richard Moore. King's Castle is, today, the oldest surviving English fortification in the

New World The term ''New World'' is often used to mean the majority of Earth's Western Hemisphere, specifically the Americas."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: Oxford University Press, p. ...

. It is Bermuda's oldest standing stone building, predating the State House. Its ''Captain's House'', built a year after the State House, in 1621, is the oldest stone home in Bermuda. It is also the oldest standing English house in the New World. In 1614, King's Castle famously repulsed Spain's only ever attack on Bermuda. Two shots were fired from its

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

. Although neither struck, the Spanish vessel abandoned the attack (its crew did not realise that the gunners in the fort had only enough ammunition for one more shot). This fort was used as late as the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

by Bermuda's military garrison, with soldiers living in tents within its walls, watching over the channels with machine guns. Other forts built at the south of Castle Harbour included ''Devonshire Redoubt'' (1620) and the ''Landward Fort'', on Castle Island, ''Southampton Fort'' (1620), on Southampton Island (originally known as ''Moore's Island'' and ''Brangman's Island''), at the east side of Castle Roads, ''Old Castle'', or ''Charles' Fort'', (1615), on Goat Island, ''Pembroke Fort'', on Cooper's Island, and Fort Bruere, on the Main Island.

Other fortifications on Castle Harbour

Martello Tower seen from Ferry Island Fort, Ferry Reach, Bermuda 2011

, on the north of Castle Harbour (an area now separated by the Causeway), ''Burnt Point Fort'', or ''Ferry Point Battery'' (1688), and ''Ferry Island Fort'' (1790s) were built,Bermuda Attractions: Ferry Island Fort
/ref> and, much later, in 1822, a

Martello Tower Martello towers, sometimes known simply as Martellos, are small defensive forts that were built across the British Empire during the 19th century, from the time of the French Revolutionary Wars onwards. Most were coastal forts. They stand u ...

. The island chain across the south of Castle Harbour is often referred to as the ''Castle Islands''. Their fortifications are the oldest surviving English New World fortifications (due primarily to their having been constructed of stone, whereas contemporary English fortifications on the North American continent were built from timber and earth). They were also the first English coastal fortifications in the New World. As a result of their historical significance, they have been made a

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

, together with St. George's Town. Castle Harbour is the only breeding ground in the world of the famous rare seabird, the Bermuda petrel or cahow. The north of the harbour was altered considerably during the Second World War, when the US Army built a large airbase, Kindley Field, which is today the

Bermuda International Airport L.F. Wade International Airport , formerly named Bermuda International Airport, is the sole airport serving the British overseas territory of Bermuda in the North Atlantic Ocean. It is located in the parish of St. George's and is northeast of B ...

. This involved the levelling of Longbird Island, and several smaller islets, and infilling waterways and much of the harbour to create a land mass contiguous with St. David's Island and Cooper's Island.

References

External links

{{Commonscat, Castle Harbour, Bermuda Geography of Bermuda Hamilton Parish St. George's Parish, Bermuda Martello towers World War II sites in Bermuda Ports and harbours of Bermuda