Gibbs Hill Lighthouse Bermuda
A Top Attraction in Southampton

 

Gibbs Hill Lighthouse Bermuda stands on a hill in Southampton Parish which is 245 high.     This 117 feet tall lighthouse is the main sightseeing attraction in Southampton parish and one of our favorites. This is the oldest cast iron lighthouse in the world and was built in 1846.    If you want to get a panoramic view of Bermuda and its shoreline, there is no better place than seeing it from the balcony at the top of Gibbs Hill Lighthouse Bermuda.

Gibbs Hill Lighthouse Bermuda

But, you need to climb 185 steps to fulfill this desire. The picture below shows the stairs of the Gibbs Hill Lighthouse.

The climb however is not as tough as it might appear. You need to take it easy. As you go up, there are eight floors with mini exhibits that describe how the tower was built along with information about history of Bermuda. There are also resting platforms on the way to the top. 

 

At the top of the tower, there is a 1000-watt bulb placed inside a revolving lens. Ships can see the light beams it emits from 40 miles away. In the earlier days, there were too many ships getting wrecked by the hidden reefs around the islands of Bermuda. So the Gibbs Hill Lighthouse was built to help navigate the ships.  

The Lamp - Gibbs Hill Lighthouse

The lamp was first lit on May 1st,1846. It was a revolutionary method at the time for reducing the number of shipwrecks.

While shipping now uses advanced navigation methods, such as GPS systems, the Gibbs Hill lighthouse Bermuda offers a backup method of shoreline navigation and still appreciated by modern mariners.     For generations, lighthouse keepers ran the property. Gibbs Hill lighthouse is now operated electronically and maintained by the government’s Marine and Ports Department.     Queen Elizabeth II visited Gibbs Hill Lighthouse Bermuda in 1953 shortly after her coronation.

Today a bronze plate on the roadside close to the lighthouse marks where she stopped to watch the scenery of Great Sound - the place is called Queen's View. While the view from here is great, but the view from the top of the lighthouse is even better. 

 

View from top of Gibbs Hill Lighthouse

From the balcony at the top of Gibbs Hill Lighthouse, you get a 360-degree view. This is a spectacular vantage point to view the south shore horizons.

You get a fantastic view of the west-end as far as the Royal Naval Dockyard, the great sound with Hamilton harbor with the city in the distance, and the homes, swimming pools, farm fields, seascapes of Southampton and Warwick... just wonderful. 

 

At the base of the Gibbs Hill lighthouse, in a former signaling station used by the British Army, is a nice little Tearoom, open for breakfast, lunch, and weekend dinners in season. To know more about the lighthouse tearoom, check out Gibbs Hill Lighthouse Tea room 

 

UPDATE: There is a new restaurant The Dining Room that has come up in place of the Tea Room and occupies the same space. 

 

There is also a small gift shop at the base. 

 

Admission Fee: 2.50$ per person, under five free.  

 

Open Hours 

Gibbs Hill lighthouse is open daily from 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.  

Closed in February for maintenance and on Christmas. 

 

Location and Contacts 

68 St. Anne’s Road, Southampton Parish. Phone: 441/238-8069  

Bus: #7 and #8 from the City of Hamilton. 

Check out Bermuda Tourist Map to view the location of the place. 

 

 

Check out Bermuda Must See Places to know about the top places to visit in Bermuda. 

 

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