South of the Sessions House sits the Cabinet Building (105 Front St., tel. 441/292-5501, fax 441/292-8397, open 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Mon.–Fri., admission free), where the “Upper House,” or Senate, meets every Wednesday morning at 10 a.m. (Nov.–July). The imposing two-story building, completed in 1833, is home to the Premier’s office and headquarters of his cabinet of government ministers, whose flashy cars are usually parked outside.

The Cabinet lawn is the venue of the annual November Throne Speech, which the Governor delivers before a packed crowd of dignitaries and MPs in hats, topcoats, and tails; Bermuda Regiment soldiers, band, and corps of drums; as well hundreds of public onlookers and curious tourists. Prince Andrew was the guest of honor in 2005.

Here also stands an imposing bronze statue erected in 2008 depicting Sally Bassett, a legendary heroine of Bermuda’s slavery days. According to folklore, Bassett, a slave, was implicated in the poisoning of her master and his wife, and was publicly burned to death.

Along the lawn’s south perimeter stands the 1920 Cenotaph, a limestone monument honoring Bermudian soldiers killed in the two World Wars and other international conflicts. A solemn Remembrance Day ceremony is held here each November 11, when surviving war veterans parade down Front Street, wreaths of symbolic poppies are laid at the Cenotaph, and a gun salute is fired by the Bermuda Regiment. The day is a public holiday on the island, and hundreds attend the event.