Fort George, originally named Riches Mount, sits on Mount Hill on the western edge of St. George’s – the highest point of land in St. George’s. The site was first established in 1612 to protect St. George’s Harbour on the southern side and the shipping channel on the northern side, which allows ships to sail along the north shore to Hamilton or the Dockyard.
The original structure was more of a lookout structure, or watchtower, made of wood (including a signal gun), until much later in the 1790s when the Fort as it stands today was built in stone.
The original design was a square shape with three floors visible above ground and tunnels underneath to allow for escape in the event of an external attack. The square shape (with a very deep moat around the building) still exists to this day – however, on top of the building, the Bermuda Government built a wireless and radar station for the entire island – Bermuda Harbour Radio and the Bermuda Maritime Operations Centre (“BMOC”). According to the BMOC website, “The Maritime Operations Centre is the 24-hour operational hub of the Bermuda Government’s maritime support program. Various distinct international safety and security responsibilities are overseen from a common facility where the use of specialist marine technology, training, and experience all combine to create a high degree of situational awareness, communications connectivity, and ultimately – timely decision-making to support local and international operations.” The Bermuda Maritime Operations Centre was established in 1990 and moved to Fort George
in 2001.
While the views from Fort George across the Harbour are spectacular, the access from the main road is challenging. Fort George Hill is accessed only by coming out of the town – in other words turning left from the West, into the access road is not permitted due to the acute angle. While driving up the Hill is a two-way road, the reality is that meeting an oncoming vehicle, either up or down, can only be negotiated by using the entrances to the homes along the Hill. A tricky maneuver at the best of times.
Parking at the top is much easier, so the magnificent views can be easily appreciated.
You will be astonished at the depth of the (dry) moat around the structure – intended to prevent intruders from attacking the Fort. Getting into the moat would require a difficult climb down – or a death-defying jump. Getting back out would be a lifelong exercise. Impossible in other words.
Standing up on a small parapet to the right as you enter the Fort, the views are well worth the effort. The whole harbor can be seen from the Cut (and the ocean beyond) to the left around to the Town of St. George’s and Ordnance Island – then over to the airport on the right side, St. David’s Island (and the extent of the former US Naval Air Base commissioned in 1940), Coopers Island
the St. David’s lighthouse.
The panorama view clearly illustrates the harbor’s enormous size. With a bit of imagination, you can almost hear the creaking of wooden hulls and the shouts of sailors as you envision the bustling harbor of the 17th and 18th centuries, teeming with ships plying the trade routes between Europe, the Americas, and the Caribbean. Then later, the steamships with merchandise, then containers – and even later the cruise ships into the East End The words, “bustling port” spring to mind. It was therefore imperative that the harbor be protected at all times, day and night, from unwanted visitors. Fort George thus played a critical defensive role.
Fort George is also part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of St. George’s.
