Quebec Martello Tower 1
|Quebec Martello Tower 1 (1808-1871) - A British colonial Martello Tower established in 1808 by Ralph Bruyeres on the Plains of Abraham in present day Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. Abandoned in 1871 as the British military left Canada.
Quebec Martello Tower 1 History
Part of the Harbor Defense of Quebec.
Construction began in the summer of 1808 on four Martello towers to guard the westward land approaches to Fortress Quebec. The four towers were designed as an interlocking advanced defense system that could be destroyed from the fort if overrun.
The towers were completed by the start of the War of 1812 but they never were attacked. The towers were abandoned for military purposes when British troops departed Canada in 1871 but were used for other purposes after that.
Tower 1 was used to support a cistern for the Ross Rifle factory in the early 1900s and as an astronomical observatory from 1941 to the 1960s.
Must See! Part of Plains of Abraham National Battlefield Park, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The tower is restored and contains interpretive displays on all three floors. A period display cannon is mounted outside the tower. A cutaway cannon is located on the third floor. Admission to the tower is tied into the Plains of Abraham National Battlefield Park bus tour which was informative and very entertaining. Terrific view of the St. Lawrence River from the tower site. Automated self guided tour of the tower uses iPad technology to provide details of interpretive displays.
Visited: 18 Jul 2013