Built Heritage: Department of Fisheries Cottage

Built Heritage: Department of Fisheries Cottage

BUILT HERITAGE: March 2022 By Linda Abend and Margie Lloyd, Bermuda National Trust

This post is part of a series of architectural articles by the Bermuda National Trust that highlight some of Bermuda’s endangered historic buildings. 

Because of its recent use by the Department of Fisheries we’ve called this otherwise unnamed house Fisheries Cottage. Not only is the building’s early history unknown, there is also the discrepancy as to which parish it belongs, with one government department placing it in Hamilton Parish and another in St George’s.

Although the exact date of the cottage’s construction is uncertain it appears on the 1898/1901 ordinance survey map. The Grade 3 listed cottage has many decorative features such as raised gable ends, corner pilasters and a small parapet on the south end. An architrave over the front door helps to deflect rain water. There is a large tank built into hillside.

As early as 1620 there was a little footbridge which led from the main island to Coney Island where there was a horse ferry that went across to Ferry Island where then a short wooden bridge led to St George’s Island. Before the 1871 construction of the Causeway there was steady business transporting people, horses and carriages to Ferry Island. Located close to the Coney Island pier is the Old Ferry House (now also used by the Fisheries Department) which was rented out, presumably to the ferry master who was required to keep all the buildings in good repair and to paint them inside and out every year.

Read full built heritage article on Fisheries Cottage

March 29, 2022 News