Ferry Reach is a three mile (five kilometre) long channel in the north-east of

Bermuda Bermuda is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. The closest land outside the territory is in the American state of North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. Bermuda is an ...

, 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. George's Harbour,

, linking it with Castle Harbour, and is crossed by two bridges at its northern end. The name also applies to the western end of St. George's Island which lies to the north of this channel, and, more loosely, to the water passage between the western tip (Ferry Point) of this and Coney Island. Three forts had been sited on Ferry point, the most recent being the

Martello Tower Martello towers 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 up to high (with two floors) and typica ...

built, along with a nearby magazine, under the command of Major Thomas Blanshard, RE, in the 1820s. A barracks was built near Ferry Point during the

American War of Independence The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

to house a detachment of the Royal Garrison Battalion. The building later became the ''Ferry Keeper's Cottage'' (it is still known by this name, although the ferry fell out of use after the Royal Engineers completed the nearby

causeway A causeway is a track, road or railway on the upper point of an embankment across "a low, or wet place, or piece of water". It can be constructed of earth, masonry, wood, or concrete. One of the earliest known wooden causeways is the Sweet T ...

in 1871. The War Department purchased the western of Ferry Reach in 1846, but the main route from St. George's to the rest of Bermuda remained via the Ferry Road and Ferry Point until the completion of the causeway. The area was used for housing part of the military garrison, primarily under canvas, as a way to minimise the effects of yellow fever, which struck hard in the closely packed barracks. The area was also used for quarantining those infected with yellow fever. The land area contains two British military

cemeteries A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite, graveyard, or a green space called a memorial park or memorial garden, is a place where the remains of many dead people are buried or otherwise entombed. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek ) implies th ...

dating from the yellow fever epidemic of the 1860s. One of them, overlooking the North Shore to the east of Whalebone Bay, is a walled yard containing the graves of soldiers of the 2nd Battalion of the Queen's Royal (West Surrey) Regiment, and of one Royal Engineer, Sapper Aaron Boyes, who died during the epidemic. Most of the area is, today, a public parkland, but is still used frequently for military training by the Bermuda Regiment. The area is also the site of the only receiving station and storage facility for petroleum fuels delivered to Bermuda, with both

Esso Esso () is a trading name for ExxonMobil. Originally, the name was primarily used by its predecessor Standard Oil of New Jersey after the breakup of the original Standard Oil company in 1911. The company adopted the name "Esso" (from the phon ...

and Shell Petroleum maintaining large storage facilities with tanks that are fed from tankers moored well off-shore. The adjacent facilities, known popularly as the ''Oil Docks'', lie on the North Shore, immediately to the east of the public park. Since 2006 the area has been undergoing development for warehouse space freeing up older buildings in developed areas for higher commercial use.

Gallery

Image:Military Map-Ferry Reach-Bermuda.JPG, Map of Ferry Reach before the area to its south was radically altered in 1941 by the construction of an airfield. File:Martello Tower seen from Ferry Island Fort, Ferry Reach, Bermuda 2011.jpg, Two of the three forts at Ferry Reach, ''Ferry Island Fort'' (in the foreground), and the

Martello tower Martello towers 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 up to high (with two floors) and typica ...

in the background, in 2011. ''Burnt Point Fort'' (or ''Ferry Point Battery''), built in 1688, is out of sight, to the left (West). Image:Bermuda Regiment Warrant Officer.jpg, A Bermuda Regiment

Warrant Officer Warrant officer (WO) is a Military rank, rank or category of ranks in the armed forces of many countries. Depending on the country, service, or historical context, warrant officers are sometimes classified as the most junior of the commissioned ...

, training at Ferry Reach. File:Royal Bermuda Regiment Soldier at Ferry Reach in 1994.jpg, Royal Bermuda Regiment soldier with a

Ruger Mini-14 The Mini-14 is a lightweight semi-automatic rifle manufactured by Sturm, Ruger & Co. Introduced in 1973, the design was outwardly similar to the M14 rifle and is, in appearance, a scaled-down version chambered in 5.56×45mm NATO, though with its ...

at Ferry Reach in 1994 Image:Ferry Reach - North Shore - Bermuda.jpg, Ferry Reach, looking over the North Shore. ''Lovers' Lake'' is visible at the left. Image:Kindley Field Bermuda.jpg, Looking across Ferry Reach towards St. David's. The house in the foreground was originally the home of Vincent Astor, who sold it after the

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

built the Kindley air field, with the glideslope of the main runway passing directly over his roof.

References

{{Coord, 32.3674, -64.7009, region:BM, format=dms, display=title Bodies of water of Bermuda Channels of North America St. George's Parish, Bermuda