The Town of St George, located on the island of the same name, is considered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee "an outstanding example of the earliest English urban settlement in the New World. Its associated fortifications graphically illustrate the development of English military engineering from the 17th to the 20th century, being adapted to take account of the development of artillery over this period." Originally called New London, it claims to be the oldest continuously-inhabited English town in the New World, and it was the capital of Bermuda until 1815.
The permanent settlement of St George began in August 1612 with the arrival of a governor, a clergyman, and 60 settlers, to be joined a few months later by 600 more people. A watchtower was built on Fort George Hill and the foundations of several forts were laid to guard the entrances to St George's Harbour and Castle Harbour. The mid-18th century was a time of economic stagnation for the town, but military activities during the American Revolution (1776-83) saw the beginning of a boom. St George remained a strategic military location for the next two centuries until the US naval base closed in 1995.
The architecture of Bermuda is unique, and has changed little in its basic elements since the end of the 17th century. The simple, well proportioned houses, of one or two storeys, are constructed with load-bearing masonry walls, rendered and painted in pastel colours, and roofs of stone slabs painted white. Between roof and wall are a series of eaves painted a third colour, which is also used on the wooden shutters of relatively small windows. The roofs are designed to catch water, of which there is no fresh supply in Bermuda apart from rain. The walls are designed to restrict damage from hurricanes. The house shown in the third postcard, Tucker House Museum, located on Water Street and hosting also an bookstore named Book Cellar, is an perfect example.
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