The town of Hamilton was founded and named after Sir Henry Hamilton who served as Governor of Bermuda from 1788 - 1794. Bermuda was divided into parishes, with St. George's parish being at the eastern end of the island. Hamilton was instrumental in introducing the settlement of a town in the central parishes.
St. George's had been the island’s capital for over 200 years, and its residents strongly objected to the creation of the new town, but Governor Hamilton felt it made good sense to have a town in the central area, which would be relatively close to people from all over the Island. This accounts for the motto, 'Sparsa Collegit', translation of which is 'brought together the scattered'. The new town of Hamilton quickly thrived and overtook the Town of St George, becoming the capital of Bermuda in 1815.The City of Hamilton is now the centre of international and local business on the Island.
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| Bronze Sculpture by G W Lundeen |
Hamilton has a unique and charming character, being full of historic buildings such as the Library and Museum, with its wooden verandah. This building, in Queen Street, was once the family home of William Perot, postmaster and creator of Bermuda’s first postage stamps.
Perot was an avid gardener who planted many varieties of trees in his garden. The garden is now a public park. Formerly known as Par-la-Ville Park, it was recently renamed Queen Elizabeth Park, in commemoration of Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee.
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| Royal Poinciana |
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| Mandevilla |
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| Kiskadee |
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| Plumbago |
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| Red Hot Cat Tails |
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| Sago Palm |
Hamilton boasts many sculptures, several within the Queen Elizabeth Park.
Three of the sculptures - Enzo Plazzotta's 'Jeté', Berthold Schiwetz's 'Praying Mantis Fountain', and 'Birds of Flight' by George Gach - were bequeathed to the Bermuda National Gallery by the late John Hinson Young II and his wife Nelga Young, in 2005. The Sculpture Garden, a joint project between the Corporation of Hamilton and the BNG, fulfilled the Youngs' request that the sculptures be shared by the community in a "museum without walls."
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| Jeté by Enzo Plazzotta |
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| Praying Mantis Berthold Schiwetz |
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| Birds of Flight by George Gach |
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| Student by Jonothan Mhondorohuma |
Perot Post Office was started by William B. Perot, who ran it from 1842 to 1862. He hand-printed Bermuda's first postage stamps from here in 1848; making Bermuda only the second British colony after Mauritius to have its own postage stamps. The building has been restored and retains many of its original wooden features.
It continues to be in use as a post office today. 
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1 comment :
great photos and very interesting info Anne :) x
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