Somerset Bridge, Bermuda

Somerset Bridge is a small bridge in Bermuda connecting Somerset Island with the mainland in the western parish of Sandys, Somerset Bridge is reputedly the smallest working drawbridge in the world. It crosses a small channel connecting the Great Sound with Ely's Harbour.

Somerset Drawbridge

Somerset Drawbridge center with 32 inch bisected plank opened by hand to allow the passage of sailboat masts

The bridge is mentioned in the acts of Bermuda's first parliament, held in St. George's on 1 August 1620. Bridges were to be constructed at Somerset, the Flatts, and Coney Island. Additionally, the road from Somerset to Warwick was to be improved, and extended to Castle Point.^[1] The bridge appears on a 1624 map of Bermuda.^[2]

The bridge is opened by hand, creating a 32-inch gap that allows the passage of a sailboat's mast. The drawbridge is depicted on a Bermudian banknote.^[3]

Notes

1. Wilkinson, Henry (1958). The Adventurers of Bermuda (Second ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 138–140.
2. Harris, Edward (1997). Bermuda Forts, 1612-1957 (First ed.). Bermuda Maritime Museum Press. p. 47.
3. "Somerset Bridge Information". 20 September 2012.

32°16.713′N 64°52.593′W