St George is one of Bermuda's finest assets, which is particularly true, when applied to the promotion of tourism. I know this from personal experience, as I live in St George and frequently meet up with our visitors, thus I can report that most whom I meet are completely charmed by the Old Town. Indeed, they tell me that St George is their number one Bermuda experience.Its charms and history are so attractive that over the years, numerous artists have spent time recreating St George on paper and canvas. The earliest depiction goes back almost 400 years, to 1624 when Captain John Smith published ‘A Generall Historie of Virginia. New England and the Summer Isles’. Within this book is a map of Bermuda surrounded by vignettes of varying buildings, including Bermuda's first stone building, the State House and an early view of the town square with St Peter’s Church in the background.St George was then very different in appearance from that of today. Nevertheless, the remarkable thing is just how little it has changed over the last 200 years. This is made evident from early 19th century paintings and engravings currently on view at the Ace Gallery. The exhibition honours the 400th anniversary of the founding of St George and is made possible by the Bermuda National Trust.What this exhibition does is showcase the development of St George, and that in itself is fascinating. Besides Captain Smith's engravings, there is also a 1731 panoramic drawing of the town by an unknown artist, which illustrates our early stone architecture. That was before sash windows, for all the windows depicted in this drawing are of the casement type; each window made of numerous small diamond panes, each surrounded by lead mullions.The development continues, but the pace picks up, especially in the 19th century, with numerous drawings and paintings by artists that are now known by name, such as Thomas Driver, JCS Green, Lt Edmund G Hallewell, Edward James and lesser-known artists such as Maria A Lewis, Lt Henry Somerset Choi and Lt HS Clive.It should be noted that many of these 19th century artists had a military connection but towards the end of the century Bermudian artists begin to put in an appearance. Most of these are women and it is now thought that at least some were taught by Edward James who is a mysterious character.Although he was a remarkable artist, his background is largely unknown, but rumours have it that he came from an important English family. It is even suggested that Edward James was not his real name. Whatever the case, one of the early Bermudian artists that is being featured in this show is Susan Frith. She is represented by Stockdale, a watercolour of the former home of Bermuda's first printer.Considering Edward James again, of the several paintings by him in this exhibition, I noted a view of St George from Barrack Hill. It is remarkable for its precise details, especially the architecture, but also in the depiction of people and ships in the harbour.This particular exhibition continues through September 13. There is also an exhibition at Masterworks that focuses on St Peter’s Church, which is likewise, 400 years old this year. To help with the celebration Queen Elizabeth recognised its significance in a ceremony called the intituling, or the giving of a title, which in this instance is: Their Majesties Chappell.The St Peter's exhibition is made possible by a relatively new organisation called the Friends of St Peters, which was formed in 2005 under the patronage of the Duke of York.The first major undertaking of this organisation was the refurbishing of the St Peter’s tower clock. Apparently it ceased working about 50 years ago and was subsequently dismantled and its inner parts stored somewhere within the church. The clock's face was taken and stored in an outbuilding at St Peter's rectory. The clock face was replaced with a replica, made of fibreglass. The remarkable thing is that most of the clock's parts, when found, were still largely intact, with only a few minor parts missing.The clock was originally purchased by John Till in 1815, but sometime in the mid-20th century, it was damaged in a storm and then replaced by an electric clock with even an electric bell. It is my understanding that the original clock was repaired by the same firm that actually made it in 1815, namely Thwaites and Reed, of Brighton, England. The tower itself, was built in 1814.St Peter’s has evolved over the centuries. The original church, a wood and thatch structure, lasted only a short while before being destroyed in a storm. This was replaced by a more substantial building and this is the one depicted in Captain Smith's illustration of 1624.Eventually the church was replaced by a stone structure, but with substantial amount of timber from the original building. Over the years since, various wings have also been added. The Victorian Gothic entrance that we see today, dates from 1841.Although we all know the parish church in St George's as St Peter’s, it has only been known by that name since 1826, when the church was consecrated by Bishop Inglis. Before that it was known as the St George's town church or more simply, the town church.In connection with this exhibition, a group of artists were invited to submit paintings, that in some way, depict St Peter’s. There are about a dozen or more artists represented and ten artists have their work for sale, with at least some of the proceeds going to St Peter’s. These artists include Diana Amos, Pam Darrell, Christopher Grimes, Molly Godet, Emma Ingham, Jill Amos Raine, Bill Rogers, Nicholas Silk, and Otto Trott.When I learned that artists had been invited to submit work for this unjuried exhibition, I wondered what I would find. It is a pleasure to report that the exhibition is very good and seeing it was an enjoyable experience. Sadly, it has since been taken down.These art exhibitions are attempts by private organisations to showcase St George and to tell the truth the old town needs whatever help it can get. Certainly its neglect on the part of Government is blatantly evident.It is encouraging therefore, that St George is being given considerable prominence in Bermuda's new tourism plan and it’s about time. However, up till now, a number of important celebrations in connection with St George have come and gone without any significant recognition by Government and especially the Ministry of Tourism and I can't help but wonder why the 400th anniversary of the wreck of the Sea Venture, which took place on July 28, 2009, the 400th anniversary of the arrival of our first colonists and the founding of the town of St George along with the establishment of St Peter’s Church, all of which were celebrated earlier this year.By contrast, in 2007, the state of Virginia celebrated the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown in a big way. Mind you, it cost about $45 million to do so, but that investment generated $1.2 billion in sales in Virginia alone. This also generated an estimated $28 million in taxes and created 20,621 jobs. Additionally, the exposure of Virginia in the media resulted in coverage of more than 12 billion impressions projected to benefit Virginia's tourism for years to come.Since Bermuda's early history is so closely linked with that of Virginia, it made sense to take advantage of their celebrations by giving prominence to Bermuda's founding, but did we? Sadly, we did not. Yet St George has a huge advantage over Jamestown in that the old town is an intact, living community, whereas Jamestown today, is an archeological site. Even Williamsburg, which became Virginia's new capital after 1676, is largely a reconstruction. By the 20th century, many of its important public buildings from the colonial period had disappeared, with only archeological traces left.It is encouraging that the new Tourism Plan puts such a high value on St George but in order to put it on the tourism map, it will take detailed planning and money. Regarding costs, let us consider the investment made in Jamestown and the profitable returns it accrued. I contend that an investment in St George will likewise bring good financial returns as well.