The history of Hamilton

The original Town of Hamilton was incorporated by an Act of the Bermuda Legislature in 1793. Located in a sheltered harbour in the central parishes, it was named in honour of the then Governor, Captain Henry Hamilton, who had strongly supported the creation of a town in the centre of the island which could better serve the needs of Bermuda's expanding population.

Hamilton quickly became the capital of Bermuda when the seat of Government was transferred from St. George's in 1815.

Following the completion of the Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity, situated some 400 yards east of the present City Hall, the status of City was conferred upon the Town of Hamilton in 1897 to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Victoria.

The area comprising the City of Hamilton, one of the smallest cities in the world, is 185 acres, with a resident population of 1,800 and an estimated daytime population of approximately 13,340 (40% of Bermuda's working population).

The nine-member Corporation of Hamilton has a Mayor, three Alderman, and five Common Councillors, and is elected every three years to administer the City of Hamilton under the authority vested in it by the Legislature.

CITY HALL

Hamilton City Hall was officially opened by his Excellency the Governor, Major General Sir Julian Alvery Gascoigne, K.C.M.G., on 11th February, 1960 and is located on Church Street in the heart of Hamilton.

Its construction was made possible through a generous donation by the late Miss Catherine Browne Tucker, who bequeathed a substantial sum to the Corporation for the building of a City Hall in memory of her father, George Somers Tucker, a former Alderman of the Town, and Speaker of the House of Assembly.

The building is of traditional Bermuda architecture with a Scandinavian influence in respect of the tower. The architects were Messrs. Onions and Bouchard. Its amenities include a theatre, two galleries housing the Bermuda National Gallery and the Bermuda Society of Arts, the Mayor's Parlour, and the administrative offices of the City of Hamilton.

Portraits in the foyer are those of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Mr. Curtis Hooper, The
Hon. George Somers Tucker, and former Mayors of the Town and City of Hamilton.

In the reception area and corridor of the administrative office there is a very fine collection of plaques of Royal Naval vessels that have served on the Bermuda and West Indies Station.

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II visited the City Hall on 17th February 1975, together with His Royal Highness Prince Philip who had previously visited the site of City Hall in April 1959 during a world tour, while the building was under construction.

Other distinguished visitors have included His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, Her Royal Highness Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, The Rt. Hon. The Earl of Snowdon, Her Royal Highness Princess Alice, Her Royal Highness Princess Alexandra, His Royal Highness The Duke of Gloucester, former Prime Minister The Rt. Hon. Margaret Thatcher, and The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Michael Ramsey. During a visit to City Hall in 1961, the former President of the United States of America, the late Mr. Harry S. Truman signed the Visitors Book as a "retired farmer".