Somerset Bridge

Somerset Bridge carries the road between Somerset Island and the rest of Sandys over a narrow channel, and it has a hinged section in the middle just wide enough to let a sailboat's mast through, opened by hand with a plank lifted out. The gap is around forty-five centimetres, and it is generally described as the smallest working drawbridge in the world. The current bridge dates from the eighteenth century in origin with later rebuilding.

Background

The bridge spans a narrow channel linking the Great Sound with Ely's Harbour and joins Somerset Island to the mainland in Sandys, the western parish. Acts passed at St. George's on 1 August 1620 called for bridges at Somerset, the Flatts and Coney Island, along with improvements to the road from Somerset to Warwick and its extension to Castle Point. A 1624 map of Bermuda already shows the crossing. The drawbridge also appears on Bermuda's $20 bill.

Source: Wikipedia, "Somerset Bridge, Bermuda"

What you'll find

• The opening span - a hand-lifted section around forty-five centimetres wide.
• The channel - the narrow cut between Somerset Island and Sandys.
• The eighteenth-century origin - the bridge's date, with later rebuilding.
• The Railway Trail crossing - the old line passing beside the bridge.

When to go

Year round; the bridge is a road crossing and always accessible. Sailboats use the gap occasionally rather than on a schedule. Hurricane season runs June to November.

Things to know

The opening is not scheduled and seeing it used is a matter of luck. It is a small bridge and the visit is a photograph. There is nowhere much to park.

Nearby

Somerset Village is north, and Fort Scaur is nearby.

Key facts