Somerset Bridge | The World’s Smallest Bridge, Bermuda » In Bermuda, one of the tourist attractions is a 56-centimeter retractable bridge and even hand-operated when a sailboat has to pass through it!
Someone pulls the wood that covers it and the captain must accurately calculate not to hit the sail on the rest of the stone bridge!
It is located at the southern point of Somerset and since its construction in the 17th century it has reduced up to three hours the sailor’s voyage to the open sea and the other Bermuda islands.
Today, 10 bridges connect eight islands and the mainland, but four centuries ago, the only way to get from one island to another was by boat.
In 1620, the Bermuda General Assembly decided to build the first three bridges, including the Somerset Bridge, to allow residents to relay it more easily.
At that time, most of the people who lived in Bermuda moved by fishing and general boat, but strong southwest winds were causing problems.
At the beginning of the 17th century, a type of ship was built, equipped with towering towers and triangular sails – which is still popular today – to help the islanders sail easily and swiftly to the open sea.
The Somerset Bridge has not changed much for 400 years, except for the four small yellow chains that have been positioned to prevent some of the passers-by dropping into the water. It remains functional, but it does not have the old move as the ships have changed.
However, it is considered one of the country’s top tourist attractions and is also depicted in banknotes. Indeed, it has been officially designated as a historic monument since 2015.
Source — BBC
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