Ferry Reach, Bermuda facts for kids

A young Bermuda cedar tree at Ferry Reach.

Ferry Reach is a channel about five kilometers (three miles) long in the north-east of Bermuda. It sits between St. George's Island to the north and St. David's Island to the south. This channel connects St. George's Harbour with Castle Harbour. You can cross it using two bridges at its northern end. The name "Ferry Reach" also refers to the western part of St. George's Island, which is north of this channel.

A Look Back at Ferry Reach's History

Ferry Reach has a long and interesting past, especially with the military.

Forts and Defenses

For many years, this area was important for defending Bermuda.

• Three forts were built on Ferry Point, which is the western tip of St. George's Island.
• The newest of these was a Martello tower, built in the 1820s. It was designed to help protect the island.
• A building called the Ferry Keeper's Cottage is still there today. It was first built as a barracks for soldiers during the American War of Independence.
• The ferry service stopped after a causeway was built in 1871, making travel easier.

Military Use and Yellow Fever

The military used Ferry Reach for a long time.

• In 1846, the War Department bought land at Ferry Reach.
• Soldiers often stayed here, sometimes in tents. This was done to help prevent the spread of yellow fever, a serious illness that was common back then.
• The area was also used to keep people who had yellow fever separate from others.
• There are two British military cemeteries here from the 1860s. They hold the graves of soldiers who died during a yellow fever outbreak. One cemetery overlooks the North Shore and has graves of soldiers from the Queen's Royal West Surrey Regiment.

Ferry Reach Today

Today, Ferry Reach is a mix of public parkland and important facilities.

Public Park and Training Area

• Most of Ferry Reach is now a public park. It's a great place for people to visit and enjoy nature.
• However, the Bermuda Regiment still uses the area often for military training exercises.

Fuel Storage Facilities

• Ferry Reach is also home to Bermuda's only place for receiving and storing petroleum fuels.
• Companies like Esso and Shell Petroleum have large storage tanks here.
• These tanks are filled from tankers that moor offshore.
• These facilities are often called the Oil Docks. They are located on the North Shore, next to the public park.
• Since 2006, parts of the area have been developed for warehouses. This helps free up older buildings in other parts of Bermuda for different uses.

Gallery

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  Map of Ferry Reach before the area to its south was radically changed in 1941 by the construction of an airfield.

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  Two of the three forts at Ferry Reach, Ferry Island Fort (in the foreground), and the Martello tower in the background, in 2011. Burnt Point Fort (or Ferry Point Battery), built in 1688, is out of sight, to the left (West).

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  A Bermuda Regiment Warrant Officer, training at Ferry Reach.

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  Ferry Reach, looking over the North Shore. Lovers' Lake is visible at the left.

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  Looking across Ferry Reach towards St. David's. The house in the foreground was originally the home of Vincent Astor, who sold it after the US Army built the Kindley air field, with the glideslope of the main runway passing directly over his roof.