Somerset Bridge is a small bridge in 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...

. Connecting Somerset Island

Somerset Island, Bermuda

Somerset Island is one of the main islands of the chain that makes up Bermuda. It lies in the far west of the territory, and covers 2.84 square kilometres. It comprises about half of the parish of Sandys, and is the largest of a chain of islands which extend along the northwestern coast of the...

 with the mainland in the western parish of Sandys

Sandys Parish, Bermuda

Sandys Parish is one of the nine parishes of Bermuda. It is named for English aristocrat Sir Edwin Sandys , and hence there is no apostrophe in the name, which is pronounced "Sands"....

, Somerset Bridge is reputedly the smallest working drawbridge

Drawbridge

A drawbridge is a type of movable bridge typically associated with the entrance of a castle surrounded by a moat. The term is often used to describe all different types of movable bridges, like bascule bridges and lift bridges.-Castle drawbridges:...

 in the world.

The original bridge was built in 1620, and much of its structure remains, although the bridge was largely rebuilt in the mid 20th century. The original bridge was cranked open by hand, whereas the current bridge consists of two cantilevered half-spans, separated by a 18-inch gap bridged by a thick timber panel. The panel is removed whenever a yacht wishes to pass beneath the bridge, allowing the unsailed mast to pass through the gap.

On a series of Bermuda dollar

Bermuda dollar

The dollar is the currency of Bermuda. It is normally abbreviated with the dollar sign $ or, alternatively, BD$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies. It is subdivided into 100 cents...

 banknote

Banknote

A banknote is a kind of negotiable instrument, a promissory note made by a bank payable to the bearer on demand, used as money, and in many jurisdictions is legal tender. In addition to coins, banknotes make up the cash or bearer forms of all modern fiat money...

s issued from 2009, the bridge is featured on the reverse of the pink five dollar note, along with Horseshoe Bay

Horseshoe Bay, Bermuda

Horseshoe Bay is perhaps the most famous beach in Bermuda. A very popular tourist spot, it lies on the main island's south coast, in the parish of Southampton. The sand of the beach is very fine and displays a pink tint. The beach is equipped with one lifeguard station which is manned during the...

 and opposite an Atlantic blue marlin

Atlantic blue marlin

The Atlantic blue marlin is a species of marlin endemic to the Atlantic Ocean. The Atlantic blue marlin feeds on a wide variety of organisms near the surface. By using its bill, it can stun, injure, or kill while knifing through a school of prey and then return later at its leisure to eat...

.

Nearby buildings often take their name from the bridge, such as a post office a park and, until October 2008, a sports club

Sports club

A sports club or sport club, sometimes athletics club or sports association is a club for the purpose of playing one or more sports...

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