The Historic Town of St George and Related Fortifications is the name used by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's (UNESCO) World Heritage Committee to identify collectively as a World Heritage Site St. George's Town, founded in 1612 (following the 1609 wreck on Bermuda's reefs of the Sea Venture), and a range of fortifications, batteries, and magazines built between 1612 and 1939, the last of which was removed from use in 1953.

Starting from settlement of St. George's Town in 1612 (the permanent settlement of Bermuda had begun with the wreck of the Sea Venture, the flagship of the Virginia Company, but the three men who remained from that ship had lived on Smith's Island, prior to the arrival of more settlers in 1612), the colony's militia built and garrisoned a range of fortifications, mostly protecting the entrances to St. George's Harbour and Castle Harbour, both of which gave access to the town.

US independence deprived Britain of all of her mainland bases between the Maritimes and Florida (which it returned to Spanish sovereignty, but continued to operate from until the First Seminole War resulted in Spain ceding the colony to the USA).

Bermuda was launched into prominence for the Royal Navy, which began buying land at the West End of the archipelago for the construction of a Dockyard and naval base.

Within a dozen years, a suitable passage to the West End (Hurd's Channel) had been located, and the Royal Navy began relocating its shore establishments westwards.

[6] Although no military force ever attempted a serious invasion of Bermuda (a handful of small raids by Spanish, French and Bermudian-American vessels were either fended off with a few shots, or saw the attackers flee before militia and local privateers could reach them), the threat of an attack on Bermuda was increased in the 19th century, not only by the proliferation of strategic targets, like the Dockyard, but because large amounts of munitions were funnelled to the Confederates, primarily through warehouses and docks of St. George's.