The Frederick Street Steps (locally called St. Andrews, Hill Crest, or Blackbeards Steps) provide access to East Hill Street, which offers panoramic views of the harbor and its surrounds. The steps were carved out of stone in 1793, along with the street. A Remembrance Day Ceremony was once held on these steps, in honor of fallen war heroes, and the original Cenotaph was built here before it was reconstructed in the Garden of Remembrance.
If you head west along East Hill Street, at the top of the steps, you will see several buildings that have a colonial influence:
Post Office Headquarters: This building was constructed in 1971. Residents can be seen collecting letters from the post boxes and purchasing colorful stamps that display Bahamian scenery. Philatelists can alsopurchase commemorative stamps for their stamp collections. Several other government departments are housed in the building.
Ministry Of Foreign Affairs: The Headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is located in a building formerly occupied by the East Hill Club. Some of the old structures can still be seen on the lower grounds.
Royal Bank House: This is the nerve center for the Royal Bank of Canadas regional and international operations. In the early 1700s the estate was owned by the Crown and was known as Glenwood.Inside the building are many works of art, including water colors by Bahamian artists, historical maps, and prints.
Providence House: It presently houses Pricewaterhouse Coopers, a firm of charted accountants, and a few offshore banks. It is believed that an American Loyalist named Moody initially owned the site, probably receiving it as a Crown Grant in 1783 following the American Revolutionary War.
East Hill Street concludes at the top of Gregorys Arch and leads into the grounds of Government House. It provides an excellent aerial view of the cruise ships accessing the harbor, the Prince George Dock, the British Colonial Hilton Hotel, and the top of St. Andrews Presbyterian Kirk.
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Email: tourism@bahamas.com