ST. GEORGE'S has always been the gateway to Bermuda, due to its geographical position at the east end and its chronological marker as the first settlement, fully established in July 1612. Sleek Bermuda sloops, great ships-of-the-line, cruise ships of modern tourism and yachts of the classic Newport-Bermuda Race all accessed the island at waters off St. George's.

Aeroplanes thunder into Bermuda's only airport at the East End. The shift of the capital to Hamilton in the early 19th century has ensured that in an age of rapid change, St. George's has become another vital gateway, this time to the heritage and museum of Bermuda.

The Government of Bermuda has recently acknowledged that new function through a major grant to the St. George's Foundation for the making of an Orientation Exhibits Gallery in the World Heritage Centre at Penno's Wharf.

The first phase of this important development was opened on June 27 by Dr. Ewart Brown, JP, MP, Deputy Premier and Minister of Tourism and Transport. This was an appropriate official, for the main object of the new exhibit is to introduce visitors to the heritage of St. George's and to transport them through the displays to the scope of history in the rest of the great museum that is Bermuda.

According to Mr. J. Henry Hayward, chairman of the Foundation, "from a tourism perspective, the World Heritage Centre allows our visitors to understand and appreciate the rich and varied history we share and the role Bermuda has played in historical events affecting the United States, Europe, the Caribbean and Africa.

The exhibits will foster a better awareness of this shared history, encourage repeat visits and renew interest in East End activities, giving life and energy to the Town. It will also act as a catalyst to enhance and complement Bermuda's tourism programmes and cultural activities".

"The World Heritage Centre will serve as an advocate of museums located in St. George's, as well as other cultural museums throughout Bermuda. The Orientation Exhibits Gallery will spark one's interest and encourage our visitors to explore the real museum, the Town of St. George," states Mrs. Sharon Jacobs, executive director of the Foundation.

Several years ago, UNESCO designated St. George's and the fortifications of St. George's Parish as a "World Heritage Site", with considerable kudos for Bermuda and not a little added responsibility and accountability for those monuments.

Two of the reasons for the designation were the early establishment of St. George's as a town in 1612 and the survival of many of its architectural treasures into the present day. In the new exhibition, an attempt has been made by way of a three-dimensional model to demonstrate how St. George's looked in its first few years. This is an exciting display, even if its accuracy has to be fully proved by archaeological excavations in the future.

OFF the town sat the two islands that Simon Frazer, Ordnance Storekeeper, would later combine (to great personal benefit) as Ordnance Island. A bay and inlet opposite would be buried under landfill to become the square of the town, potentially one of the most important archaeological sites in Bermuda.

Small wooden cottages with palmetto-thatched roofs were dotted about the valley, formed by hills to the west, north and east. The important official buildings of the Church, the Governor's House and the State House were present, the last built in stone in 1620 by the third governor, Nathaniel Butler, "to encourage others to build in the same fashion".

On the hill to the west, a great timber lookout stood on the site of what became Fort George. The spot remains Bermuda's only such manned lookout, home to Harbour Radio.

Elsewhere, such as Gibbs Hill Lighthouse, advance radar systems are the eyes and ears for shipping in the Bermuda area. Heritage is essentially continuity and Bermuda Harbour Radio continues a function begun in the first days of the settlement of the island by people.

Bermuda, of course, shares an interesting distinction with some other oceanic islands, such as Ascension, Tristan de Cunha and Mauritius, which were never populated by humans until recent times, ushered in by the Age of Discovery.

Another interesting structure in the model is Warwick Castle, the existence of which was questioned at the opening ceremony. This was a small fort built on the hill just northeast of St. George's in 1613 to guard the town itself.

It was also considered as a place of refuge for the women and children, for there were periods, then as now, when the men folk were acting up. We do not know the exact location of Warwick Castle, but it may survive as archaeological remains to the south of the Western Redoubt (Fort William), known to several generations of Bermudians as the "Gunpowder Cavern".

Part of the Orientation Exhibits Gallery is geared to young people and will be used with future education programmes at the World Heritage Centre. The displays are intended to give visitors to St. George's an overview of Bermuda's history and unique heritage, and to suggest where they may visit at the east end and throughout the island to see the monuments and artefacts so mentioned. Further galleries in the Centre will expand that invitation to appreciate Bermuda's wider heritage.

THIS is not the place to enumerate that other heritage, but rather to congratulate the people of the Town, its Corporation, the Foundation and the Bermuda Government for bringing this first stage of the Heritage Centre into being.

Now that the World Cup is no longer holding up the advancement of the world, you are invited to take family and friends to St. George's to view things of enduring value, which help to preserve our identity as Bermudians and all the heritage that has been created and sometimes preserved these last almost 400 years.

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Dr. Edward Harris, MBE, JP, FSA, Bermudian, is the Executive Director of the Bermuda Maritime Museum. The views expressed here are his opinion, not necessarily those of the trustees or staff of the Museum. Comments can be sent to drharrislogic.bm, to PO Box MA 133, Sandys MABX, or by telephone at 799-5480.