Queen Elizabeth II officially opened the Bermuda Maritime Museum in 1975 in the fortress known as the Keep and its success led Government to begin to restore the Dockyard as a cultural tourism destination. 

Where menacing guns once stood guard, visitors can now enjoy spectacular views of Bermuda’s sparkling North Shore from the ramparts of the former fortress.

Arguably the Museum’s “crown jewel” is Commissioner’s House that overlooks the Dockyard. The oldest cast-iron frame residential building in the western hemisphere, it was occupied by the civilian resident commissioner in overall charge of the Dockyard from 1827 to 1837. 

It was then turned over to the Army, which retained control of it until 1862, when it served as the Royal Marine Barracks from 1862 to 1914 and as married quarters and barracks for naval ratings during the First World War. 

In 1919, in accordance with naval tradition, the Commissioner’s House was formally commissioned as a ship, HMS Malabar, and during the Second World War, it served as Allied headquarters for North Atlantic submarine radio interception.

The house was painstakingly restored by the Museum over a period of 25 years – the largest restoration project ever undertaken in Bermuda – and eventually reopened in 2000. A variety of exhibitions on Bermuda’s social and military history, and special collections are now on show inside and are not to be missed. 

The six buildings that house the Museum’s diverse exhibits were built between 1837 and 1852 and once used for ammunition storage. Inside the entrance is the Queen’s Exhibition Hall containing a wealth of information on navigation, whaling, local pilots and customs, flying boats, steamships and Bermuda sloops.

In the three-gabled Shifting House, you’ll find exhibits on diving and the Sea Venture, whose 1609 wreck on Bermuda’s reefs led to the settlement of the colony. You’ll also discover an amazing variety of artifacts recovered from 16^th and 17th-century shipwrecks.

The Shell House and Foster Cooper buildings just north of the Keep Pond, contain displays of seafaring history. The “Isle of Devils” exhibit in the Shell House, offers information on Bermuda’s treacherous reefs, which explains why early explorers gave this name to the islands. The Gibraltar of the West exhibit in the Forster Cooper building gives a comprehensive history of the British Navy in Bermuda. Also featured is the Bromby Bottle Collection of more than 2,000 rare, antique bottles found around the island.

The Maritime Museum is also home to Dolphin Quest, Bermuda’s unique dolphn encounter for all ages.

The Maritime Museum is open daily (except Christmas) from 9:30am to 5:00pm. For more details: 441-234-1418.

LINKS:

For information on current exhibitions, visit Bermuda Maritime Museum

DolphinQuest