Google Sightseeing takes you on tour of the world as seen from satellite, using the free Google Earth program, or Google Maps in your web browser. Each weekday your guides James and Alex present new weird and wonderful sights as suggested by readers.

The editors: James & Alex

Somerset Bridge, Bermuda

Posted by Alex Turnbull, Friday, 31st March 2006

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This is the Somerset Bridge in Bermuda - which is apparently the smallest working drawbridge in the world! Wikipedia says the bridge:

consists of two cantilevered half-spans, separated by a 32-inch (80 cm) gap bridged by a thick timber panel. The panel is removed whenever a yacht wishes to pass beneath the bridge, allowing the unsailed mast to pass through the gap.

Some dude at Princeton (who’s lucky enough to take family holidays in Bermuda) has a great river-level shot of this tiny sight.

Thanks to Sara.

7 Responses to 'Somerset Bridge, Bermuda'

  1. 1. Corey Charles says:

    The link for the “great river-level shot” is broken by an extra dot at the end.

    http://www.princeton.edu/~jhalderm/pics/2000-08=bermuda/bridge.html

    I really enjoy your feed! Thanks.

  2. 2. Timhogs says:

    At the airport at the other end of the island, there’s a good shot of a plane about three seconds from landing, right off the western end of the runway.

  3. 3. Tim says:

    Er, river-level shot? That bridge doesn’t cross a river, that’s the ocean.

  4. 4. Sean says:

    Hey, I love absent minded browsing. Nice shot of the bridge. It’s never used any more, but people get a kick out of it all the same. The trick is getting a boat underneath it though.

  5. 5. Aaron says:

    actually that’s not the Somerset Bridge, it’s one of the other bridges on the west side of the island

    the Somerset Bridge can be seen here connecting Somerset Island and Bermuda Island
    Placemark: Google Maps / Google Earth

  6. 6. Alex says:

    Oops, on further inspection it seems that you’re right Aaron, thanks for noticing! Post updated.

  7. 7. Matt says:

    I used to live there :) I used to go over that bridge every time my relatives came to visit (they wanted to go to the dockyard).

    Interesting but useless fact, when they were doing work on the bridge, they built a bridge to the side of it out of, for lack of a better term, a stack of black rocks with a paved road on top. Also, if you look at the water-level photo, the little square cut-out in the middle of the bridge is so sailboats can be directed underneath. I think its neat :/

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