The Bermuda Garden Club’s final Open Houses & Gardens event of the 2007 season takes place today in Sandys Parish when three homes near Somerset Bridge will be on show.

The three — ‘Nautilus’, ‘Bridge House’ and ‘Point House’ — provide a splendid opportunity for an eve-of-Bermuda Day outing to see some typically Bermudian homes and gardens.

‘Nautilus’ is recently built but looks as if it has been overlooking Ely’s Harbour and the Atlantic Ocean for centuries.

Its welcoming steps lead to a cedar front door and a gracious interior, and some of its beautiful pieces of cedar furniture were made by the owner. Its garden appears well established, and is a lesson in landscaping a new residence.

‘Bridge House’ and ‘Point House’, on the other hand, have been there for centuries and boast all that is good about traditional Bermudian architecture. Features include cedar beams and ship’s knees.

‘Bridge House’, located near picturesque Somerset Bridge, has a wonderful garden with room for colourful flowers, a children’s play area, and a walled fruit and vegetable garden. The house contains a collection of antique maps of Bermuda, and lithographs by Lt. Edmund Gilling Hallewell, a 19th century British army officer stationed on the Island.

‘Point House’>is in an idyllic setting on a point of land jutting into Ely’s Harbour. It is an ancient maritime residence and contains many traditional seafarer’s items. An interesting feature in the garden is an old fish pond in which fish were stored prior to the days of refrigeration.

Both ‘Bridge House’ and ‘Point House are reached via a narrow winding lane which is accessed from the main road through a narrow opening in the rock. Walking will be essential in this neighbourhood so wear comfortable shoes. A limited shuttle service will operate to ‘Nautilus’ on Wreck Road.

Each home on this tour features exquisite flower arrangements. Those in ‘Nautilus’ and ‘Bridge House’ are done by members of the Garden Club of Bermuda, while newcomers to the event, the Hibiscus Garden Club, are responsible for ‘Point House’.

This is the last of a four-week series of Open Houses & Gardens. The events, organised by the Garden Club of Bermuda, raise money for horticultural scholarships and environmental projects. For further information see www.gardenclubbermuda.org.