Tags:   ontario cans2s Canada Military College of Canada Kingston National Historic Site UNESCO World Heritage Site Rideau Canal and Kingston Fortifications West Tower Kingston Fortifications National Historic Site

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Excerpt from www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=4356:


Description of Historic Place

Standing sentinel at the waters edge the West Branch Ditch Tower is a specialized defensive structure integral to Fort Henry. It comprises of a massively built 45 foot high circular stone tower, which inclines slightly inwards as it rises. Topped by a timber built snow roof of conical shape, facetted and covered in sheet metal. The Tower is situated on a corner at the extremity of a defensive ditch enclosed by an attached loopholed wall. A regular musket gallery sits on the opposite flank and a semi-circular caponier projects from the front base of the Tower. The stone wall of the caponier joins the tower in distinctive ogival arches. The solidly built interior spaces demonstrate a simple geometry with plain surfaces. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.
Heritage Value

The West Branch Ditch Tower is a Classified Federal Heritage Building because of its historical associations and its architectural and environmental values.

Historical Value
The West Branch Ditch Tower is a very good example of a structure associated with the theme of the active defence of Canada from the ongoing threat of the United States. The Oregon crisis precipitated the construction of the Tower which is a masonry fort component designed for the mounting of smoothbore artillery and musketry. Its task was to defend the ditch, shore and dead ground in front of the Advanced Sea Battery. Its construction, the subsequent economic benefits and the resulting influx of personnel had a significant impact on Kingston.

Architectural Value:
The West Branch Ditch Tower is an excellent example of a functional 19th century military defence design. Regarded as a modified Martello tower, its specialized features, construction techniques and its use of materials express its excellent functional design. It exhibits very good quality work and craftsmanship.

Environmental Value:
As an integral component of both the Fort Henry Defence Complex and the line of Martello towers along the Kingston waterfront, the West Branch Ditch Tower remains unchanged and has retained its character. The Tower reinforces the coastal defence and military setting of Fort Henry and its distinctive form is familiar to the both the townsfolk and visitors to Kingston.

Character-Defining Elements

The following character-defining elements of the West Branch Ditch Tower should be respected, for example:

Its functional military defence design and good quality materials and craftsmanship as evidenced in:

-The conical shaped snow roof of timber and sheet metal.
-The simple geometric massing of the massively built ashlar faced circular tower.
-The strategically placed loopholes in the Tower exterior, gallery and in the caponier at ground level.
-The two single iron sheathed doors on the landward side of the Tower one at ground level and one above it.
-The cut stone walling of the caponier which joins the tower in distinctive ogival arches.
-The stone voussoired dome supporting the terreplein.
-Internal details such as the configuration of the artillery platform mounted in the top of the Tower.
-The bombproof roof on the third floor.
-The heavy timber framing of the middle and third floors.
-The flight of steps with winder cut into the exterior wall of the Tower.

The manner in which the West Branch Ditch Tower reinforces the military character of Fort Henry.

Tags:   Fort Henry National Historic Site Kingston Wolfe Island Ontario Canada National Historic Sites National Historic Sites Kingston West Branch Ditch Tower

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Built with the same design used at Cape Martello in Corsica in 1796. The round shape was supposed to deflect the canon balls, and the high and small windows made it almost impossible to penetrate.

Tags:   ontario Old_City Canada Murney Tower Martello Tower Kingston Top 150 Unusual Things to See in Ontario National Historic Site UNESCO World Heritage Site Rideau Canal and Kingston Fortifications Kingston Fortifications National Historic Site

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Excerpt from historicplaces.ca:

Surrounded by trees, the Cathcart Tower is located on Cedar Island in the Saint Lawrence Islands National Park of Canada near Kingston. It is an imposing, two-storey cylindrical, stone Martello tower with four evenly spaced caponiers around its base. The conical roof has twelve hips that rise to a central point. The only entrance is through a double reinforced door on the second level of the tower, which is also pierced by small, recessed shuttered windows. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

Heritage Value

The Cathcart Tower is a Classified Federal Heritage Building because of its historical associations, and its architectural and environmental values.

Historical Value

The Cathcart Tower is closely associated with the defence of British North America and Canada in the mid-19th century. The tower is one of four Martello towers representing part of the final phase of Kingston area defence works, which had commenced with the establishment of Fort Frontenac by the French in 1673. The final phase of construction was spurred by the Oregon Crisis, during which war between Great Britain and the United States seemed imminent. The crisis was resolved while the Kingston Towers were under construction and there was no need to arm them until 1861-62 when British-American relations again deteriorated during the American Civil War. The Cathcart Tower therefore represents pre-Confederation efforts to maintain sovereignty during a period of American expansion.

Architectural Value

The Cathcart Tower is valued for its excellent aesthetics and as an example of a 19th-century military defensive structure. Designed to withstand bombardment while providing cover fire to protect the harbour, it is massive and extremely stable. A key component in the Kingston historic fortification system, the Cathcart Tower represents the apex of Martello tower design, with its sophisticated caponiered flank defence and masking from cannonade that ranked among the most technologically advanced in the world. Excellent functional design is evidenced in the tower’s thick walls, while the brick lined interior minimises the chance of explosion and fire. Excellent craftsmanship and materials are evidenced in the smooth-faced limestone walls and the masonry of the caponiers.

Environmental Value

The Cathcart Tower reinforces the historic character of Cedar Island. A visible component of the fortifications, it can be seen from Fort Henry and passing boats. The structure is a landmark to local people and to visitors to the island.

Its excellent aesthetics, its excellent functional design, and excellent craftsmanship and materials, for example:
- the simple geometric massing of the cylindrical tower with four evenly spaced caponiers around the base, and the shallow, conical snow roof that covers the parapet and gun platform;
- the massively constructed, smooth, steep exterior walls built of tightly fitting limestone blocks, the rubble core, and the brick-lined interior with structural masonry ceiling vaults springing radially from the central pier to the exterior walls;
- the small windows and entrance on the second level that houses the barrack, and the embrasures for defence by carronades;
- the ventilated powder magazine located in a well-ventilated, brick-lined basement room;
- the solid metal inner doors equipped with gun loopholes that protect the passageways into the main structure;
- the cistern within the tower and the kitchen and storage facilities.
The manner in which the Cathcart Tower reinforces the historic character of Cedar Island, and is a regional landmark as evidenced by:
- its design and materials, which contribute to its historic surroundings on Cedar Island;
- its visibility to visitors to the island, to passing boats, and to visitors over in Fort Henry.

Tags:   Cathcart Redoubt Cedar Island Royal Military College Fort Henry Kingston Ontario Canada Level 1-Photography for Recreation Kingston Fortifications National Historic Site National Historic Site

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Excerpt from Wikipedia:

Fort Frederick is a historic military building located on Point Frederick on the grounds of the Royal Military College of Canada (RMC) in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Its construction dates to 1846 and the Oregon boundary dispute. The fort consists of earthworks surrounding a Martello tower. Fort Frederick is included in two separate National Historic Sites of Canada: Kingston Fortifications National Historic Site and the Point Frederick Buildings National Historic Site.

Tags:   Fort Frederick Tower Royal Military College Kingston Ontario Canada Kingston Fortifications National Historic Site National Historic Site Point Frederick Buildings National Historic Site

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