Like sisters who may look alike but behave entirely differently, Devonshire and Paget share common traits but occupy divergent places in the collective imagination. Both with verdant valleys, rolling farmland, old estates, centuries-old churches, and nature reserves, the regions are fairly similar in appearance and incorporate a variety of geography, from coastal regions to inland farms. Both are heavily residential, and steeped in history—Paget’s of the seafaring variety, Devonshire more military-minded. Unfortunately, both parishes have also borne the brunt of modern-day progress, serving as conduits for ever-increasing streams of traffic moving between the city and the rest of the Bermuda.

Yet the parishes’ differences become more apparent by spending time in each. Devonshire is deep-country in the most laid-back sense, with deserted coast-view trails, quiet cedar-fringed farms, stables, and tucked-away family estates where, amid walled meadows and wooded drives, you might imagine you were in the heart of the English countryside. Its shoreline communities are just as relaxed, with fishermen’s stalls and dry goods stores that belong to another
century.

Noisier, more developed Paget has its quiet spots, certainly, but overall, it proffers a more suburban edge—no surprise, since it gazes across the narrow foot of the harbor at the city, and its coveted Harbour Road properties were earned long ago by merchants and traders, yesterday’s movers and shakers.

Together, both parishes encompass central Bermuda and, along with Pembroke, are generally considered the most desirable areas in real estate. They boast a massing of old money and a convenient proximity to Hamilton (5 to 10 minutes, with fewer traffic jams than other areas en route to the city)—factors that have served to boost already-exorbitant land values here over the past decade. The surge is particularly due to Hamilton’s international business sector, which constantly seeks executive rentals not too distant from corporate headquarters.

The Best of Devonshire and Paget Parishes

• The Arboretum
• Old Devonshire Church
• Devonshire Bay Park
• The Botanical Gardens
• Camden House
• Masterworks Museum of Bermuda Art
• Waterville
• The Birdsey Studio
• Paget Marsh
• Elbow Beach