Prince of Wales Tower

Martello Tower, Point Pleasant Park

Deep within Point Pleasant Park, with its commanding position over the other nearby defence fortifications, is the oldest Martello Tower in North America.  The Halifax Harbour defence system continued its development following the arrival in 1794 of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, who took over as Commander in Chief of His Majesty’s forces in Nova Scotia.

In the spring of 1796, with fear of the possible arrival of the French West Indies fleet, construction of the Martello Tower commenced.  It was constructed some 400 yards inland to protect the principle shore batteries that made up the bulk of the harbour defences : Point Pleasant, Northwest Arm and Cambridge Batteries; and Fort Ogilvie.  Any assaulting force would have to take out the Martello Tower first before attempting any of the shore batteries.  Construction was delayed late in 1796, when authorities halted the project on the grounds that military field commanders could only undertake ‘temporary’ works in case of emergency, and this was definitely a permanent structure.  However, Prince Edward’s personal power was enough to get this project approved, and construction proceded that the Tower was functional and defensible by 1797, at a cost of approximately ₤2,400.

By 1813, the Tower mounted four 6-pounder guns on garrison carriages on its barrack level, two 24-pounder guns on traversing platforms and six 24-pounder carronades on traversing slides on top.  The facing material on the two-story Tower is ironstone rubble masonry, with 8-foot thick walls.  The Tower is 26 feet high and is 72 feet in diameter.  After 1864, the Tower was used as a self-defensible depot magazine.

While neither the Prince of Wales Tower nor any other fortifications of Halifax’s defence system ever fired a shot in anger, shots were fired at the clearing of the Martello Tower on an early winter morning in March, 1840.  John Halliburton, upset by an editorial in the Nova Scotian which criticized his father, the Chief Justice, challenged the piece’s author, Joseph Howe, to a duel.  Howe stood his ground, allowing Halliburton to shoot and miss.  After a time, Howe aimed his pistol high and fired into the air.  As he handed his weapon to his second, he cried "Let the creature live!".

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