An historical boathouse overlooking Bailey’s Bay could be rebuilt more than a decade after it was destroyed by hurricanes.

A planning application this month proposed reconstructing a structure associated with Willoughby, on North Shore Road, Hamilton Parish.

The planning application provided an excerpt from Bermuda’s Architectural Heritage: Hamilton Parish, which said the boathouse was erected some time before 1887.

The structure was built by Thaddeus Aubrey Outerbridge, a doctor who sat in the House of Assembly, to accommodate a rescue boat after one of his friends drowned.

“It was said to have been built so a boat might always be available to rescue anyone in trouble on the North Shore,” the book said.

“The boathouse lost its roof during Hurricane Emily in 1987 and is now in derelict condition.”

The application said the damaged building was demolished in 2003 by the impact of Hurricane Fabian.

Planning permission to rebuild the boathouse was granted in 2018 and renewed in 2020, but has since lapsed.

The application said: “The original boathouse was built some time before 1877, and we are proposing to reinstate the boathouse on its former footprint over the existing foundations at the water’s edge.

“There is a significant elevation difference between the boathouse and the neighbouring properties so the boathouse will not have any significant impact on the neighbours.”