Pinner Memorial Park
Pinner Memorial Park in Sunny Isles, Florida
Pinner Memorial Park lies at the center of Bermuda’s Island and is one of the most beautiful places to visit. The park is very picturesque with lots of buildings and interesting features such as a lighthouse, several ponds & a large aviary. The entire park is surrounded by Bermuda’s Mountain peaks and is open all year round. I recommend visiting Pinner Memorial Park during the winter because it is quite cold down there!
In my opinion the best part about Pinner Memorial Park is the little known story about its founder, Captain George Bennett Pinner. Captain Pinner had a great love for birds and really enjoyed raising piers around the island. On New Year’s day in 1900, he decided that he wanted to construct a playground for the birds on his property so he could attract more to his home that year. The result was a small chapel complete with a garden, a pond & playground. It took him until the next New Years to finish it, and it remains the only such park ever built in Bermuda. He lived in St Georges Parish from 1906 to 1907 and left Bermuda.
My interest in Pinner Woods was sparked when I read an article in an online travel magazine that mentioned Pinner as a beautiful place to visit. I went there to find out more about Pinner and the interesting history of his small chapel. After doing a lot of research I realized that Pinner Memorial Park is not a particularly old building; in fact it is one of the newest. But the story behind its creation is fascinating.
Many interesting facts about Pinner Memorial Park can be found in the Bermuda’s official website called the Bermuda’s Heath Robins Museum. On the museum website are a biography of Pinner, including his life and death, as well as the birth of his wife. There are also some interesting facts about Pinner Village, including how it came to be, the names of some of the original residents (including George Pinner), and a short history of the park. I particularly enjoyed the section on Pinner’s association with Heath Robinson.
While doing some research I discovered that Pinner’s association with Heath Robinson resulted in him being portrayed as an important figure in Robinson’s life. In some versions of the biographical accounts, Pinner is shown as the person who introduced Robinson to his brother. Although this part of the biography is improbable, it does highlight Pinner’s important role as a friend and benefactor to Robinson during their time together. Pinner’s name is even referenced in one episode of The New York Trek, which is a popular television series that chronicles adventures of the fictional Enterprise crew. In one episode, a holographic Pinner sits with Counselor Deendars and Counselors aboard the USS Enterprise. In the scene, the characters examine the hologram, and the hologram states that he is an advisor to the captain.
Beyond Pinner’s important role as a supportive counselor and confidant, I also discovered that Pinner’s death helped pave the way for many other events in Pinner Village. For example, in 1998, the former John Pinner House became a location for the “Hollywood Walk of Fame”. I was able to visit the premises while staying in Florida, and was able to take in all of the memorabilia that can be found there, including the original bronze statue of Pinner. After visiting the Hollywood Walk of Fame and seeing the replica of Pinner’s bronze statue, I returned to Pinner house to search for more Pinner memorabilia. During my search, I came across the previously mentioned Pinner House and quickly learned that it had changed its name to Pinner Memorial Park. It was then that I decided to begin a blog on Pinner House, chronicling my efforts to search for more information about the Pinner family and the park which they built. More info about –