Named after William Shakespeare’s patron Henry
Wriothesley, the Earl of Southampton, Southampton is
a magnet for visitors because Bermuda’s most photographed
beach is in this parish. Horseshoe Bay is famous for its
expanse of creamy sand infused with the pink of miniscule
shards of tiny single-celled animals called foraminifera or red
foram. Clusters of tiny half shells can be seen at the
tidemark, some of them as delicate and perfectly shaped as
a newborn baby’s fingernails. Horseshoe, whose curving bay
really does resemble a horseshoe, extends for almost a quarter
of a mile and boasts dramatic limestone cliffs, home to longtail birds
that nest there year after year. Birdwatchers can enjoy watching
them swirl in an aerial courtship dance. Strong swimmers can swim
to the reef for excellent snorkeling— parrot fish are particularly
plentiful here. On the western end of Horseshoe Bay is Port
Royal Cove, affectionately known as the Baby Beach because its
soft sand and shallow sea are ideal for toddlers. At low tide, on the
western end, other smaller beaches can be reached by foot.
St. Anne’s Church, across South Road and after which Church Bay
is named, is a charming example of Bermudian ecclesiastical
architecture. But it is also the setting of a favourite local tale.
Wrecking, or luring passing ships onto the reefs in order
to loot them, was a profitable, if unsavoury, activity during
the eighteenth century. The tale is told of a rector preaching
at St. Anne’s Church in Southampton Parish
on a stormy Sunday. A man
entered the church and started
to whisper to some members of
the congregation who then started
to reach for their hats.
The rector asked, “John Smith, what
are you saying to these people?” Smith replied,
“Parson, there’s a ship on the south-west breakers.”
Whereupon the rector replied, “The congregation
will remain seated until I take off my surplice, and
then, boys, we’ll all start fair.”
• Gibb’s Hill Lighthouse, Bermuda’s first
lighthouse (built in 1846), offers a panoramic
view of the South Shore, the Great Sound,
and the City of Hamilton.
• Two of Bermuda’s golf courses are in
Southampton: the Port Royal 18-hole course
and the 9-hole course at the Fairmont
Southampton Resort.
• Church Bay, west of Horseshoe Bay,
is excellent for snorkelling.
Buses from and to Hamilton: Number 7 to
Barnes Corner/Dockyard via the south
shore beaches; Number 8 to Barnes Corner/
Dockyard via Middle Road.
SOUTHAMPTON
Must Dos!
SOUTHAMPTON
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Southampton
EASTERN BLUEBIRD
GIBB’S HILL LIGHTHOUSE
ST. ANNE’S CHURCH
BY ALEX ALLARDYCE