The Battery is a
neighbourhood
A neighbourhood (British English, Irish English, Australian English and Canadian English) or neighborhood (American English; see spelling differences) is a geographically localised community within a larger city, town, suburb or rural are ...
within the city of
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador that sits on the entrance to the harbour, on the slopes of
Signal Hill. It is sometimes described as an
outport
An outport is any port considered secondary to a main port (including a provincial one as opposed to a capital one), and often (especially) a small port built to support the commercial operations of a large port. The Port of Tilbury from the Port ...
within the city of St. John's and is noted for its steep slopes, and colourful houses. The Battery has been the site, over the centuries, for gun emplacements (
batteries), such as
Fort Waldegrave, for the defence of St. John's Harbour, including during both
World Wars
A world war is an international conflict which involves all or most of the world's major powers. Conventionally, the term is reserved for two major international conflicts that occurred during the first half of the 20th century, World WarI (1914 ...
.
Chain Rock
It is home to Chain Rock, a land outcropping to which a
large chain was attached connecting to
Fort Amherst
Fort Amherst, in Medway, South East England, was constructed in 1756 at the southern end of the Brompton lines of defence to protect the southeastern approaches to Chatham Dockyard and the River Medway against a French invasion. Fort Amherst is ...
, since as early as 1770, to prevent the entry of enemy ships into St John's harbour. Chain Rock is one of two rocks located on opposite sides of
the Narrows
__NOTOC__
The Narrows is the tidal strait separating the boroughs of Staten Island and Brooklyn in New York City, United States. It connects the Upper New York Bay and Lower New York Bay and forms the principal channel by which the Hudson Riv ...
, the aptly named entrance to the harbour; Pancake Rock is on the opposite shore. The space between the two rocks is 174 metres.
['']Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador
''Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador'' is an Encyclopedia commissioned by Joey Smallwood to capture the people, places, events and history of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Smallwood's view on the purpose of the encyclopedia wa ...
'', Volume one, page 395, 396 A
defensive chain was stretched between the rocks by means of a
capstan at nightfall. During World War I and II the chain was replaced with
anti-submarine net
An anti-submarine net or anti-submarine boom is a boom placed across the mouth of a harbour or a strait for protection against submarines.
Examples of anti-submarine nets
* Lake Macquarie anti-submarine boom
* Indicator net
* Naval operations in ...
s.
Avalanches & landslides
Minor
landslides
Landslides, also known as landslips, are several forms of mass wasting that may include a wide range of ground movements, such as rockfalls, deep-seated slope failures, mudflows, and debris flows. Landslides occur in a variety of environments, ...
have been frequent in the area's past, and a small number of
avalanches
An avalanche is a rapid flow of snow down a slope, such as a hill or mountain.
Avalanches can be set off spontaneously, by such factors as increased precipitation or snowpack weakening, or by external means such as humans, animals, and earth ...
; there were three avalanches in the twentieth-century involving loss of life or serious injury, two in February 1921, and one February 1959.
A list of major avalanches includes:
Although no major events have occurred between 1959 and 2020, in 1995 the city of St. John's began studying the area in an attempt to minimize risk associated with rock slides and avalanches. The Canadian Avalanche Association conducted studies in the area; based on their work, the city spent an estimated $300,000 to protect the area from further instability. Despite this a house was badly damaged by an avalanche in January 2020, following a record snowfall and hurricane force winds.
Notables
*
Frank Maher (musician)
Cornelius Francis (Frank) Maher (born 1934) is a Newfoundland musician known for his work on the buttonbox (diatonic accordion). Maher has performed solo, as well as with "almost every traditional band on the island at some point in his career" ...
, button accordionist
See also
*
Neighbourhoods in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
The city of St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, St. John's is made up of many neighbourhoods. Neighbourhoods such as Georgestown, St. John's, Georgestown and Rabbittown, St. John's, Rabbittown have long histories in the city and were among the ...
References
{{coord, display=title, 47, 34, 08.01, N, 52, 41, 25.49, W, region:CA-NL_type:city
Neighbourhoods in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
World War II sites in Canada
History of St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador