Duke of York Martello Tower

Duke of York Martello Tower (1796-1890s) - A British colonial Martello tower established in 1798 by Prince Edward, fourth son of King George III, at the York Redoubt, in present day Halifax, Halifax County, Nova Scotia, Canada. Officially named York Redoubt on 20 Oct 1798 for the Duke of York by his brother Prince Edward. Designed by Captain James Stratton, Commanding Royal Engineer. Abandoned in 1890s after a fire caused the removal of the upper floor.

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  Duke of York Martello Tower with two Camponiers alongside (outside wall view)
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  Duke of York Martello Tower Interpretive Sign
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  The Remaining First Story of the Duke of York Martello Tower Flanked by Camponiers (inside wall view)

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	George's Island
Sherbrooke Martello Tower	1814	Col. Gustavus Nicolls		Magruder's Beach on McNab's Island	The tower was built to replace a blockhouse that had been built to protect a two gun water facing battery. As the battery expanded to eight guns the tower was built to protect the land side of the battery and the stockade that surrounded the battery and the tower. The Duke of York Tower was built of ironstone as a circular tower 30' high, with a diameter at the base of 40 to 50'. The tower was originally two stories high with guns positioned on the roof, barracks on the second level and a magazine on the first level. A central staircase provided access to all levels. Atop the roof was a signal mast that served to communicate with the Halifax Citadel and other harbor posts. Although rendered obsolete as a defensive fortification by the 1860s the tower remained intact and continued in use as a signal station until a fire destroyed the upper floor in the 1890s. In 1877, prior to the fire the tower was made a part of the new enclosing wall of the redoubt and two camponiers were built into the wall alongside two sides of the tower. The upper floor was removed after the fire and the tower was reduced to the present single story. Current Status Part of the York Redoubt National Historic Site, Halifax, Halifax County, Nova Scotia, Canada. The interior of the tower is not open to the public. The exterior of the tower can be viewed from the grounds of the redoubt. No period guns or mounts visible. Loading map... Location: York Redoubt National Historic Site, Halifax, Halifax County, Nova Scotia, Canada Lat: 44.597° Long: -63.553° Elevation: 190' Bing, Google, OldMapsOnline, USGS, OHM Loading map... 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 - Duke of York Martello Tower Related: Duke of Clarence Martello Tower, Fort Charlotte, Fort Charlotte Martello Tower, Fort Clarence, Gustavus Nicolls, Halifax Citadel, New or Updated Forts and Camps, Prince of Wales Martello Tower, Sherbrooke Martello Tower, York Redoubt,