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Fort Amherst, St. John's

Coordinates: 47°33′48.96″N 52°40′49.60″W / 47.5636000°N 52.6804444°W / 47.5636000; -52.6804444
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Fort Amherst
Neighbourhood
Fort Amherst from Signal Hill
Fort Amherst from Signal Hill
Map
Country Canada
Province Newfoundland and Labrador
CitySt. John's
Ward2
Government
 • Administrative bodySt. John's City Council
 • CouncilorFrank Galgay
Official nameFort Amherst National Historic Site of Canada
Designated1951

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,[1] a lighthouse[2] and the remains of gun emplacements and pillboxes 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.[3]

One of two surviving QF 4.7-inch B Mark IV* guns at Fort Péninsule, Forillon National Park, Quebec. It is similar to the guns at Fort Amherst.

The original fortifications at Fort Amherst, built in the 1770s, are no longer visible.[3] The fortifications were named for William Amherst,[4] who successfully recaptured St. John's from French forces in 1762.[5] The site was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1951.[6]

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.[7] The current lighthouse was built in 1951.[2]

See also

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Category:Fort Amherst and the St. John's WWII Coastal Defences.
  1. ^ "Fort Amherst small boat harbor". Retrieved 2007-08-27.
  2. ^ a b "Fort Amherst lighthouse". Retrieved 2007-08-27.
  3. ^ a b "Fort Amherst history". Retrieved 2007-08-27.
  4. ^ "The Grand Concourse: Plans Presented for Fort Amherst". Retrieved 2009-08-16.
  5. ^ "The Recapture of St. John's, Newfoundland in 1762". Retrieved 2008-05-07.
  6. ^ Fort Amherst. Canadian Register of Historic Places. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
  7. ^ "Historic sites around St.Johns". Retrieved 2007-08-27.
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