Fort Amherst, St. John's

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, 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, and can still be seen on their mountings.[5]

Fort Amherst
Neighbourhood
Fort Amherst from Signal Hill
Country Canada
Province Newfoundland and Labrador
CitySt. John's
Ward2
Government
 • Administrative bodySt. John's City Council
 • CouncilorShawn Skinner
Official nameFort Amherst National Historic Site of Canada
Designated1951
Fort Amherst Lighthouse
Fort Amherst Lighthouse
Newfoundland
LocationFort Amherst
St. John's
Newfoundland
Canada
Coordinates47°33′48.68″N 52°40′49.52″W
Year first constructed1813 (first)
1852 (second)
Year first lit1951 (current)
Constructionstone tower (first)
wooden tower (current)
Tower shapesquare frustun tower with balcony and lantern
Markings / patternwhite tower, red lantern roof
Tower height8 metres (26 ft)
Focal height40 metres (130 ft)
Range17 nautical miles (31 km; 20 mi)
CharacteristicFl W 15s.
Admiralty numberH0458
CHS numberCCG 506
NGA number1848
ARLHS numberCAN-683
Managing agentFort Amherst Museum and Tea Room [1][2]
Heritagenational historic site of Canada 

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. Southeastern Newfoundland The Lighthouse DirectoryUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 10 February 2017
  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. "Fort Amherst lighthouse". Retrieved 2007-08-27.
  5. "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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