Somerset Bridge is a small bridge in

Bermuda Bermuda is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. The closest land outside the territory is in the American state of North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. Bermuda is an ...

connecting Somerset Island with the mainland in the western parish of Sandys, Somerset Bridge is reputedly the smallest working

drawbridge A drawbridge or draw-bridge is a type of moveable bridge typically at the entrance to a castle or tower surrounded by a moat. In some forms of English, including American English, the word ''drawbridge'' commonly refers to all types of moveable b ...

in the world. It crosses a small channel connecting the

Great Sound The Great Sound is large ocean inlet (a sound) located in Bermuda. It may be the submerged remains of a Pre-Holocene volcanic caldera. Other geologists dispute the origin of the Bermuda Pedestal as a volcanic hotspot. Geography The Great So ...

with Ely's Harbour. The bridge is mentioned in the acts of Bermuda's first

parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

, held in St. George's on 1 August 1620. Bridges were to be constructed at Somerset, the Flatts, and

Coney Island Coney Island is a neighborhood and entertainment area in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Brighton Beach to its east, Lower New York Bay to the south and west, and Gravesend to ...

. Additionally, the road from Somerset to

Warwick Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon, Warwickshire, River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined wit ...

was to be improved, and extended to

Castle Point Castle Point is a local government district with borough status in south Essex, England, lying around east of London. The borough comprises the towns of South Benfleet, Hadleigh and Thundersley (where the council is based) on the mainland, a ...

. The bridge appears on a 1624

map A map is a symbolic depiction of interrelationships, commonly spatial, between things within a space. A map may be annotated with text and graphics. Like any graphic, a map may be fixed to paper or other durable media, or may be displayed on ...

of Bermuda. The bridge is opened by hand, creating a 32-inch gap that allows the passage of a

sailboat A sailboat or sailing boat is a boat propelled partly or entirely by sails and is smaller than a sailing ship. Distinctions in what constitutes a sailing boat and ship vary by region and maritime culture. Types Although sailboat terminology ...

mast Mast, MAST or MASt may refer to: Engineering * Mast (sailing), a vertical spar on a sailing ship * Flagmast, a pole for flying a flag * Guyed mast, a structure supported by guy-wires * Mooring mast, a structure for docking an airship * Radio mas ...

. The drawbridge is depicted on a Bermudian banknote.

Somerset Bridge's Ingenious Design

One of the most remarkable aspects of Somerset Bridge is its design. Thought to be the smallest

in the world, Somerset Bridge features a 32-

inch The inch (symbol: in or prime (symbol), ) is a Units of measurement, unit of length in the imperial units, British Imperial and the United States customary units, United States customary System of measurement, systems of measurement. It is eq ...

bisected plank that opens manually to allow the passage of sailboat masts. This simple yet ingenious mechanism has made Somerset Bridge a subject of fascination for visitors.

Somerset Bridge on Bermuda's $20 Bill

Somerset Bridge, known for its ingenious design as the world's smallest drawbridge, is also featured on Bermuda's $20 bill, highlighting its

cultural significance Cultural heritage is the heritage of tangible and intangible heritage assets of a group or society that is inherited from past generations. Not all heritages of past generations are "heritage"; rather, heritage is a product of selection by socie ...

Notes

Bridges in Bermuda Bridges completed in the 17th century Buildings and structures completed in 1620 Transport infrastructure completed in the 1620s Sandys Parish 1620 establishments in the British Empire Bascule bridges {{Bermuda-struct-stub