Sherbrooke Martello Tower

Sherbrooke Martello Tower (1814-1866) - A British colonial Martello tower established in 1814 at present day Magruder Beach on McNab Island, Halifax, Halifax County, Nova Scotia, Canada. Designed by Colonel Gustavus Nicolls, Commanding Royal Engineers. Completed in 1828 and placed in use as a lighthouse. Sherbrooke Martello Tower Site under the Lighthouse History Part of the Harbor Defense of Halifax. One of five Martello Towers built for the defense of Halifax Harbor. The towers were mainly designed to provide land side protection for water facing batteries. The five Halifax Harbor Martello Towers were: Halifax Harbor Martello Towers Tower Built Designed by Fort Location Notes Prince of Wales Martello Tower 1796 Capt. James Straton Point Pleasant Duke of Clarence Martello Tower 1798 Capt. James Straton Fort Clarence Dartmouth Duke of York Martello Tower 1798 Capt. James Straton York Redoubt Fort Charlotte Martello Tower 1812 Capt. Gustavus Nicolls Fort Charlotte (2) George's Island Sherbrooke Martello Tower 1814 Col. Gustavus Nicolls Magruder's Beach on McNab's Island Construction actually started in April 1815. The Sherbrooke Martello Tower was built of granite to be 32' 7" high, with a diameter 50' at the base and 48' 4" at the top. The walls were seven feet thick. The tower was originally designed to be two stories high but a third story was added in 1828 to house a lighthouse. The tower was designed to mount seven 24-pounder cannons, four on the lower level and three on the second floor but it was never armed and not used for military purposes.. The tower was completed 30 Jun 1828 and placed in use primarily as a lighthouse. The structure remained up until after World War II when it was replaced by the present lighthouse. Current Status Destroyed, site built over by the current McNab's Island lighthouse, archeological remains only. Location: Magruder Beach on McNab Island, Halifax, Halifax County, Nova Scotia, Canada. Maps & Images Lat: 44.602293 Long: -63.533614 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 0' Recent Blog Posts: Oriented.ca - Guarding Halifax – The story of the Martello Tower Sources: Piers, Harry, The Evolution of the Halifax Fortress 1749-1928, The Public Archives of Nova Scotia, 1947, 155 pages, page 105 Links: North American Forts - Sherbrooke Martello Tower Friends of NcNab's Island - Sherbrooke Tower Roots Web - Sherbrooke Martello Tower Visited: No