settlement there are many distinctive architectural features to observe.

Generally houses are simple, uncluttered and well proportioned. Features such as plastered and painted stone walls, white painted stone slate roofs, solid chimneys and wooden shutters, abound around St. George's and all of Bermuda.

Local limestone is the traditional building material and is easy to work.

However, the majority of stone is also porous and needs to be coated or rendered for waterproofing, and this finish provides an opportunity for painting; whether in white, earth colours or pastel shades.

Each house catches enough water on its roof to provide for the water needs of the family. Rainfall is directed along glides or gutters on the roof into tanks below the ground where the water is stored.

This practical requirement produces the distinctive white roofs. The stone slates are also important to the strength and stability of the house in a region that is regularly subjected to fierce storms and hurricanes.

Chimneys also provide strength and support to the gable ends of early buildings. These features provided ventilation and heat for cooking and were a part of almost every house or cottage. They remain popular in new houses.

The earliest windows were casement and have now been mostly replaced by six over six sash windows.

Wooden shutters or blinds give character and style to Bermuda's houses and protect the windows from the elements. The blinds are louvred and provide shade, privacy, security and protection during hurricanes.

All of these features apply to many of the buildings in the town of St. George but, in addition, there are additional features that make buildings in the town distinctive.

The layout of the streets and buildings is distinctly urban and sets St.

George's apart from the rest of Bermuda. With buildings sitting directly on the roads and boundary walls to provide privacy and security, the result is a maze of narrow streets.

Key features include: High Walls & Gates - By the middle of the 18th century St. Georgians were building stone walls with attractive wooden gates, stone gateposts or piers to replace traditional fences, which are a distinctive characteristic of the Town.

Lateral Steps - There are many fine examples of "welcoming arms'' steps in St. George's, however, in an urban context, there is not always the space to build "welcoming arms'' steps.

Therefore, St. Georgians improvised by building lateral or side-on steps to save space.

Roof Eaves - A distinctive eaves detail has developed in the Town that is not seen elsewhere in Bermuda. This has the traditional Bermuda rafter feet projecting through an enclosed plaster cornice. Elsewhere around the island the eaves detail is normally either exposed rafter feet or an enclosed plaster cornice but not both. Many of these features can be seen in the some of the Town's more significant buildings.

The Unfinished Church on 3 Government Hill Rd, construction was started in 1874.