Fort Amherst
Neighbourhood
Fort Amherst from Signal Hill
Fort Amherst from Signal Hill
Country Canada
Province Newfoundland and Labrador
CitySt. John's
Ward2
Government
 • Administrative bodySt. John's City Council
 • CouncilorOphelia Ravencroft
Official nameFort Amherst National Historic Site of Canada
Designated1951
Fort Amherst Lighthouse
Fort Amherst Lighthouse
Coordinates47°33′48.68″N 52°40′49.52″W / 47.5635222°N 52.6804222°W / 47.5635222; -52.6804222
Constructed1813 (first)
1852 (second)
Constructionstone tower (first)
wooden tower (current)
Height8 metres (26 ft)
Shapesquare frustun tower with balcony and lantern
Markingswhite tower, red lantern roof
OperatorFort Amherst Museum and Tea Room [1][2]
Heritageheritage lighthouse Edit this on Wikidata
First lit1951 (current)
Focal height40 metres (130 ft)
Range17 nautical miles (31 km; 20 mi)
CharacteristicFl W 15s.

Fort Amherst is a neighbourhood in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. It is located at 47°33′48.96″N 52°40′49.60″W / 47.5636000°N 52.6804444°W / 47.5636000; -52.6804444, on the southern side of the Narrows, the entrance to St. John's harbour. Apart from some family dwellings, Fort Amherst consists of a man-made harbour,[3] a lighthouse[4] and the remains of gun emplacements built during World War II to defend against German U-boats. Two QF 4.7-inch B Mark IV* guns remain in place on their mountings.[5]

The original fortifications at Fort Amherst, built in the 1770s, are no longer visible.[5] The fortifications were named for William Amherst,[6] who successfully recaptured St. John's from French forces in 1762.[7] The fort operated in conjunction with Fort Waldegrave for much of its history. The site was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1951.[8]

The name is shared with Port La-Joye / Fort Amherst in Prince Edward Island and Fort Amherst in England.

The first lighthouse in Newfoundland was built at Fort Amherst in 1810.[9] The current lighthouse was built in 1951.[4]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Canada: Southeastern Newfoundland". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 2017-02-10.
  2. ↑ List of Lights, Pub. 110: Greenland, The East Coasts of North and South America (Excluding Continental U.S.A. Except the East Coast of Florida) and the West Indies (PDF). List of Lights. United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. 2016.
  3. ↑ "Fort Amherst small boat harbor". Retrieved 2007-08-27.
  4. 1 2 "Fort Amherst lighthouse". Retrieved 2007-08-27.
  5. 1 2 "Fort Amherst history". Retrieved 2007-08-27.
  6. ↑ "The Grand Concourse: Plans Presented for Fort Amherst". Retrieved 2009-08-16.
  7. ↑ "The Recapture of St. John's, Newfoundland in 1762". Retrieved 2008-05-07.
  8. ↑ Fort Amherst. Canadian Register of Historic Places. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
  9. ↑ "Historic sites around St.Johns". Archived from the original on 2007-08-14. Retrieved 2007-08-27.
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