Ferry Reach, Bermuda
Encyclopedia
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. George's Harbour
, Bermuda
, 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
built under the command of Major Thomas Blanshard in the 1820s. The War Department purchased the western 30 acres (121,405.8 m²) of Ferry Reach in 1846, but the main route from St. George's to the rest of Bermuda remained vis the Ferry Road and Ferry Point until the construction of the causeway in 1871. 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
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 occasionally 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
and Shell Petroleum maintaing 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.
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
, which lies between St. George's Island
St. George's Island, Bermuda
St. George's Island is one of the main islands of the territory of Bermuda. It lies in the northeast of the territory. It is divided between the town of St. George's and St. George's Parish...
in the north and St. David's Island
St. David's Island, Bermuda
St. David's Island is one of the main islands of Bermuda. It is located in the far north of the territory, one of the two similarly sized islands that makeup the majority of St...
in the south south-west of the town of St. George's
St. George's, Bermuda
St. George's , located on the island and within the parish of the same names, was the first permanent settlement on the islands of Bermuda, and is often described as the third successful English settlement in the Americas, after St. John's, Newfoundland, and Jamestown, Virginia. However, St...
.
It extends south from St. George's Harbour
St. George's Harbour, Bermuda
St. George's Harbour is a natural harbour in the north of Bermuda. It serves as the port for the town of St. George's and separates St. George's Island in the north and west from St. David's Island in the south and east. Several other islands lie to the south and east, closing the harbour from the...
, Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
, linking it with Castle Harbour
Castle Harbour, Bermuda
Castle Harbour is a large natural harbour in Bermuda. 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:A gem of...
, 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 tower
Martello towers are small defensive forts built in several countries of the British Empire during the 19th century, from the time of the Napoleonic Wars onwards....
built under the command of Major Thomas Blanshard in the 1820s. The War Department purchased the western 30 acres (121,405.8 m²) of Ferry Reach in 1846, but the main route from St. George's to the rest of Bermuda remained vis the Ferry Road and Ferry Point until the construction of the causeway in 1871. 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
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
dating from the yellow fever
Yellow fever
Yellow fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic disease. The virus is a 40 to 50 nm enveloped RNA virus with positive sense of the Flaviviridae family....
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 occasionally for military training by the Bermuda Regiment
Bermuda Regiment
The Bermuda Regiment is the home defence unit of the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda. It is a single territorial infantry battalion that was formed by the amalgamation in 1965 of two originally voluntary units, the all white Bermuda Volunteer Rifle Corps and the mostly black Bermuda Militia...
. The area is also the site of the only receiving station and storage facility for petroleum fuels delivered to Bermuda, with both Esso
Esso
Esso is an international trade name for ExxonMobil and its related companies. Pronounced , it is derived from the initials of the pre-1911 Standard Oil, and as such became the focus of much litigation and regulatory restriction in the United States. In 1972, it was largely replaced in the U.S. by...
and Shell Petroleum maintaing 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.