Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
imported by early sea captains. You'll see the sea chest and navigating lodestone of
Sir George Somers, whose flagship, the Sea Venture, became stranded on Bermuda's
reefs in 1609, resulting in Bermuda's first European settlers. You'll also find portraits
of Sir George and Lady Somers, and models of Patience, Deliverance, and the ill-
fated Sea Venture.
The museum is in Par-la-Ville Park on Queen Street. It was designed by William
Bennett Perot, the City of Hamilton's first postmaster (1818-62), who was a some-
what eccentric fellow; as he delivered mail around town, he is said to have placed
letters in the crown of his top hat in order to preserve his dignity.
13 Queen St., Par-la-Ville Park. &   441/295-2487. Free admission. Mon-Sat 9:30am-3:30pm.
Bermuda National Gallery Located on the second floor of City Hall in the heart
of the City of Hamilton, this is the home of the island nation's art collection, showing
Bermudian and world art alike. The museum displays a diverse permanent collection
as well as changing exhibitions. Both past and contemporary works from local and
international painters not only tell the story of Bermuda's history, but also reflect its
heritage. The gallery opened in 1992 with a core collection of European masters,
including Gainsborough, Reynolds, and Murillo. The collection was bequeathed to
Bermuda by the Hon. Hereward T. Watlington on the condition that the art be
housed in a climate-controlled environment to protect it from humidity and damaging
sunlight.
In addition to the Watlington Collection, the museum has an African collection
(African figures, masks, and royal regalia), a Bermuda collection (which ranges from
17th-century decorative arts to contemporary Bermudian work), and a wide range of
Bermudian and international photographs, prints, and modern art.
City Hall, 17 Church St. &   441/295-9428. www.bermudanationalgallery.com. Free admission. Mon-Fri
10am-4pm, Sat 10am-2pm. Tours Thurs at 10:30am.
Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute (BUEI) This blockbuster attrac-
tion is a glitzy, metallic, and electronicized counterpart to the rich patina and genuine
historicness of the Commissioner's House at the Royal Dockyard, with which it is
sometimes compared. The force behind it is Teddy Tucker, the dynamic but endlessly
controversial patriarch of Bermuda's underwater wreck explorations. At least some of
the video presentations you'll see inside feature him as its spokesperson and center-
piece. There's something very akin to a museum of science and industry within this
glistening, multimedia extravaganza. Various rooms are devoted to the underwater
geology of Bermuda, one of the world's largest collections of seashells, biolumines-
cence and the creatures that produce it, and a showcase of the treasure that Tucker
salvaged from underwater wrecks. Ironically, the exhibit that remains in our minds
long after our visit involved a grove of Bermudian cedars that were covered by rising
waters during the melting of glaciers after the last ice age, and which were ripped off
the sea bed by one of Tucker's crew—proof positive of (relatively) recent drastic
fluctuations in sea level.
40 Crow Lane, Pembroke Parish. &   441/292-7219. www.buei.org. Admission $13 adults, $10 seniors, $6
ages 6-17, children 5 and under free. Mon-Fri 9am-5pm; Sat-Sun 10am-5pm. Last ticket sold at 4pm.
Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity (Bermuda Cathedral) This is the
mother church of the Anglican diocese in Bermuda. It became a cathedral in 1894
and was formally consecrated in 1911. The building features a reredos (ornamental
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