Twin clock towers
On the great storehouse.
P. Hughes — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Seán Pòl Ó Creachmhaoil — CC BY-SA 3.0 · David Broad — CC BY 3.0 · David Broad — CC BY 3.0
The Royal Naval Dockyard is a former British naval base at the western end of Bermuda on Ireland Island, about 6 km in a straight line west of the capital, Hamilton, across the water. It was the Royal Navy's principal base in the Western Atlantic from the 19th century into the 20th. Bermuda gained great naval importance after American independence, and in 1818 its dockyard officially replaced Halifax as the main base. Its massive buildings were made of local limestone, among them the great storehouse with its twin clock towers and the fortified citadel known as the Keep. Today the quarter houses the National Museum of Bermuda inside the Keep's walls, with exhibits on the island's maritime history and shipwrecks, alongside craft shops, restaurants and a berth for large cruise ships. Its ramparts, lined with old cannon, look out over the sea and small islands. Walking around is free, and the museum charges entry. It is reached by ferry from Hamilton or by bus, and gets busy on cruise-ship days, so go early on a quiet day.
On the great storehouse.
National Museum.
Sea views.
Ireland Island, Sandys Parish, Bermuda
By ferry from Hamilton or by bus.
On cruise-ship days.