Early Admiralty Houses in Bermuda Admiralty House, Bermuda

admiralty house bermuda @ mount wyndham (1810 1816)

the first location of admiralty house had been @ rose hill, in st. george s town, between 1795 , 1806. irish poet thomas moore employed clerk admiralty court in 1803. st. george s harbour, til time, had been harbour suitable large naval vessels had known access route through bermuda s encircling barrier reef (the admiralty had plans utilise castle harbour shallow waters, , treacherous entrance through castle roads proved dangerous in stormy weather). royal navy had begun establishing in , around town, @ convict bay, had longer term plans dockyard , naval base @ opposite end of archipelago. royal naval hydrographers had spent dozen years in charting reef, , had discovered channel enabled royal navy begin mooring vessels off northern shore of st. george s island @ location became known murray s anchorage, after vice-admiral sir george murray, led first fleet anchor there in 1794. opened west end of bermuda, royal navy had begun purchasing land around great sound , hamilton harbour, access large vessels.

st. john s hill, property @ spanish point, in pembroke parish belonged john dunscombe (a bermudian later became prominent resident , lieutenant-governor of newfoundland), rented admiralty in 1810 residence royal naval commander-in-chief, admiral sir john warren. intended move admiralty house building on langton hill, in pembroke, evidently did not happen. in 1810, admiralty house moved instead rented mount wyndham, above bailey s bay. location allowed observation of both st. george s harbour , murray s anchorage, , signals passed between these points visual aids (flags or lights). mount wyndham granted house of assembly in 1812, , st. john s hill (which still being rented admiralty, had been sitting vacant) adapted naval hospital during yellow fever epidemic year.