King’s Wharf, better known as the Royal Naval Dockyard, is located on Ireland Island, on the western most tip of Bermuda. Work began on this massive complex in 1809, shortly after the Napoleonic War. Built by slave and convict labor, it was to be a strategic British military outpost, but closed its gates in 1951 when the US military established a military presence on the island with two bases. Since then, the 75 acre site has been renovated to accommodate shops, restaurants, museums, a movie theatre, The Arts Center and the Bermuda Craft Market. In 1989, the Bermuda Government decided that, owing to the increasing size of cruise ships, they required a deep water facility for visiting cruise ships to come alongside rather than lie off in the harbor. They also needed to upgrade their ferry terminal facilities for the ferry route from the capital, Hamilton, to the west end of the island. As a result, the West End Development Corporation (WEDCO) was formed to develop the historic Royal Naval Dockyard into a cruise ship terminal, a ferry terminal and a destination tourist attraction encompassing the historic dockyard buildings.
Labels: Travel information
posted by Hills @ 6:17 AM
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