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Published: February 4th 2023
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India Rubber Tree
Botanical Gardens This morning a four-hour bus strike greeted us, which should have affected the taxi services, but we were able to get one on the street to take us to the Botanical Gardens. There Tim led us around the gardens, employing his unique combination of informing and questioning, which really does help information sink in. We saw another banyan tree and an India rubber tree. Nearby were a few wild chickens and a rooster. These little groups can be seen all around the island, escapees from domesticity.
The succulent and cactus garden was particularly attractive. The tiered beds were constructed of the un-oxidized pale-gold limestone that is characteristic of Bermuda. Under the translucent protective roof, a bright glow showed off a hundred or more plants, some in flower.
The palm and palmetto garden was spacious and appropriate to the climate. A model kitchen garden was full of strawberries, cabbages, etc. All around us were hedges of hibiscus and bougainvillea. There was an Australian flame tree, although not in bloom. I did see one in bloom in a yard earlier in the week.
The centre of the Gardens was dominated by
Camden House , a large white house – the ceremonial
Johnny Barnes
Self-appointed greeter at the round-about residence of the Premier. Originally, it was the first mayor’s house built about 1750. A decorative façade and balconies were added about 1840, similar to the additions to the Parliament Buildings.
From the Gardens we walked up over a hill to the outskirts of Hamilton. We had a quick peek of a statue of
Johnny Barnes . Twenty-one years ago, he retired as a bus driver at age 65. He continued working, though, as a grocery store clerk. To occupy his time between his usual wakening before 5:00 and the store opening at 9:00, he stood in the traffic circle and cheerfully greeted everyone - to this day. They have immortalized him in a cheerful, life-like statue.
We moved on to the headquarters of the
National Trust . One in three Bermudians are members. Mainly through donated property, the Trust is the largest non-governmental land and housing owner. Land is kept open and houses are rented under preservation conditions.
This house was built by the
Trimingham family in 1725 and was lived in by descendants until the 1980s. It was still furnished with beautiful cabinets of Bermuda cedar, a huge mahogany dining table, very old straight-backed chairs, the family china
and family portraits. The house was surrounded by a park-like garden and the Rose Society’s garden. The house was painted a deep apricot with black trim.
After lunch in the garden gazebo, we walked to the
Paget (Parish) Marsh . It is a natural marsh between two ridges, and it is so old that the accumulation of 20 feet of peat has made a dry-plants region in the centre. We saw a heron perched in a tree, an egret, and a terrapin which was one of uncountable escapees from home aquariums.
The rest of the afternoon we spent at
Verdmont House , another National Trust house. It was built by a privateer. Its unusual attic roof had small windows, which enabled him to check out approaching ships. His grandson-in-law, the taxi collector, later did much the same! This house was extremely unusual, because it had hardly been changed since it was built about 1730. The main change was to line the stone walls with planks, so that at one time wallpaper could be hung. The wallpaper is gone now. Many beautiful antiques of the period were displayed, including many toys, such as tiny dolls and lead soldiers.
As a lovely
Verdmont House
Little attic windows for sighting of ships surprise, Tim’s wife and two sons joined us with a picnic “afternoon tea”, since it was mid-term break. Mary Anne had made a delicious ginger cake.
Dinner a couple of hours later was in a pub. I had Rock fish (the local catch) in a dark rum and ginger-beer sauce (bit sweet) over coconut milk rice.
View map of locations to date.
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Isabel Gibson
non-member comment
You saw a lot more natural areas than I would have expected from my own limited exposure to Bermuda. I love the anoles. We've seen them in Myrtle Beach and there are wee lizards of some sort here, although I haven't seen any this year. I checked out Johnny Barnes on Wiki. What a lovely legacy.