St. Davids Lighthouse Bermuda
The lighthouse is located at St. David's island in St. George's Parish. The original township here developed during the British era and around the British military base that was stationed here to protect the southern entrance of
St George's Harbor.
St. David's Lighthouse stands on the highest point and at the Eastern tip of Bermuda. It stands at an elevation of 208 feet above the sea level.
Photo: JERRYE AND ROY KLOTZ MD, cc by-sa 3.0
It was built in 1879 mainly to provide signals to the ships so that they didn't come too close to the hidden reefs in the water.
It was built on this hill top and not on the coastline to ensure longest visibility. The lighthouse sends out its beams 20 miles over the ocean. It continues to serve as a beacon for the mariners.
The construction of the lighthouse had an interesting background. In the earlier days, the locals here had a practice of wrongly guiding the passing ships during the nighttime. They used some sort of lights to misguide the captains of the ships.
They lured the ships to come close to underwater reefs trying to get them wrecked. If that could be achieved, the ship would become an easy prey for them to loot.
St. David's Lighthouse was originally built to stop this practice. And when the lighthouse actually defeated such illegal activities, most of those men in wrong-doing became good fishermen and even expert sailors.
St. Davids Lighthouse Imagery
Rotate the image for 360° view
It took 3 years to build this 55-foot structure and the light was activated on November 3, 1879. The original kerosene lamp with an ordinary wick was replaced by a petroleum burner in 1922.
Today the lighthouse also acts as the finishing line for such major yacht races as the
Newport Bermuda Race.
From the balcony at the top, the view is spectacular. There are some 85 odd steps and the climb is relatively easy. You can see the beautiful countryside, Atlantic towards south, Ruth’s Bay to the southwest, and St. George’s to the north.
St. Davids Lighthouse is a great place to see groups of
humpback whales that pass through Bermuda waters in April and May.
By the way, the movie The Deep used this lighthouse in their story.
Admission and Open Hours
Admission is free. Open daily from 7:30am to 4pm between May and September. Sometimes it remains closed for maintenance.
Location
The Lighthouse is in
St Davids at the far east of the island.
You need to travel along St Davids Main Road from the traffic circle on the far side of the airport to reach St Davids town. From St. George, bus route #6 serves the area. The lighthouse is located on the lighthouse road at Mount Hill.
While visiting from Royal Naval Dockyard, take the direct Orange ferry to St George and then bus #6 to St Davids. From Hamilton City you can reach St George by bus # 10, 11, 1 and 3, and then take bus #6 to St Davids.
Road Map
Related Articles
1) Check out
St Davids Island to know all about the area where the lighthouse is located.
2) Check out
St George's Town to know about the historical Town of St. George, its attractions, activities, restaurants, hotels and more.
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Visitors' Reviews and Comments
Susan Roberts (May 2013)
I visited the lighthouse for the first time yesterday with my husband and our house guests. The climb to the top was easy and we loved the banister. The view from the top was beautiful and we took a lot of pictures. Our visitors loved the experience and we will make sure that all of our guests from now on go and visit the lighthouse.
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