The Keep, Royal Naval Dockyard
| The Keep | |
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.jpg) The Commissioner's House in the Keep | |
| Location: | 32°19’45"N, 64°49’58"W |
| Information | |
The Keep is the fortification which once guarded the Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda. It stands at the northern point of Ireland Island, at the end of the string of Bermuda's islands, in Sandys Parish.
The Keep is today in the care of the Bermuda National Trust and is the home of National Museum of Bermuda.
History
The Royal Naval Dockyard was long the citadel of the islands, and the Keep a symbol of British naval might, forming a key part of a ring of fortifications guarding the Dockyard against attack by land and sea. It was repeatedly rei-enforced with bastions, ramparts, casemates and gun emplacements.
In peacetime, the Dockyard declined and the keep was abandoned. In more recent years the Keep has been transformed into a heritage asset and educational institution. The buildings—many of them former ammunition storehouses—have been converted into an exhibit, storage, offices, and event spaces.
The first building constructed in the Keep was the Commissioner’s House.
The Keep saw service through two world wars in the 20th century, but was decommissioned in 1951 and was sold to the Government of Bermuda. In 1974 the Bermuda National Trust converted the Keep into a maritime museum. The Government leased the Keep to the National Trust for 99 years, and the Trust has leased it to the Bermuda National Museum.
Outside links
- Protected Buildings: Bermuda National Trust
- The Keep: Star Forts
- Royal Naval Dockyard: National Museum of Bermuda