Monday, August 17, 2009

Kingston – Fort Henry and More!

It was very exciting to see UNESCO World Heritage Status awarded to the Rideau Canal, Fort Henry and the Kingston Fortifications in 2007 - and it remains Ontario's first and only UNESCO site. This is huge recognition of the importance of these icons of Canadian history, and I jumped at the chance to spend a few days there, and to broadcast my radio shows from Fort Henry itself.

Fort Henry National Historic Site




Fort Henry www.forthenry.com is, of course, the jewel in the crown of Kingston and it is one of the most visited sites in the country. The Fort is both a museum and a spectacular historic site. Once inside the fortification's wooden gates, visitors enter a marvelous reproduction of 19th century military life.

The site offers guided tours, scenic views, musical performances from a military band and military and marching demonstrations by the Fort Henry Guard, who are nothing less than inspired in their re-enactments. We donned the uniform of the Guard (top), watched these remarkable young students parade in 1860’s style (next), shuddered as the canons were fired from the ramparts (next), and even participated in a Victorian Schoolroom (bottom) - including a Geography lesson where the sun continues to shine on a world-girdling British Empire.

Fort Henry - U.S. Marine Corps Joint Ceremonials




The Fort also plays host to numerous special ceremonies and events throughout the tourist season. So don't be surprised if you get a little unforeseen bonus during your visit. We were fortunate enough to be there for the Joint Ceremonials with the U.S. Marine Corps - a gala evening in which the Fort Henry Guard Drums, Drill Squad and Artillery Detachment meet the United States Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon and The Commandant's Own Drum and Bugle Corps.

The evening presents a truly professional and precise evening performance celebrating our mutual military culture, traditions and cross-border friendships. Our Guards did a fabulous job of matching the professionalism of the Marine Corps, as you can see from the images above. A patriotic, fireworks finale marked the end of these memorable joint performances.

Kingston - the Limestone City




Did you know that Kingston was Canada’s first capital city? This historical city is full of surprises and attractions that supplement the military history of Fort Henry www.visitkingston.ca. Above all, it is a city on the water, with a string of paths, trails and grand buildings fronting Lake Ontario.

After gaining an overview from the Fort (top), we took the famous Confederation Trolley Tour www.kingstonchamber.on.ca around the city, which is an effective and enjoyable way of sampling what Kingston has to offer. Kingston City Hall (next) was built when the city was capital of Canada 1841-1843 and the adjacent Farmer’s Market (next) is the oldest in Canada.

With limited time, we had to choose just two of the 25 art galleries, museums and historic sites of Kingston: we went first to Canada’s Penitentiary Museum www.penitentiarymuseum.ca/museum/museum_home.htm which was a fascinating insight into a whole new world! Particularly fascinating are the examples of inmate creativity – from “home made toasters” and an accurate crossbow fashioned from toothbrushes, to ingenious escape attempts.

And then on to Bellevue House http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/lhn-nhs/on/bellevue/index.aspx (bottom), one-time home of Sir John A Macdonald, our first Prime Minister. It was built in Italianate style - quite unlike the traditional Georgian architecture of many Kingston homes, which were often fashioned from local Limestone. The house and gardens are an absolute delight to wander around. Sir John A Macdonald moved to this tranquil setting in 1848, in the hope that the failing health of his wife Isabella would improve. Alas, she did not recover and after only 1 year in this beautiful setting, due to financial difficulties, the family moved to a smaller home in Kingston.

TheThousand Islands




One of the most notable advantages of Kingston as a destination is its position at the start of the 1000 Islands region. Hence it is a great base for cruises to explore the gentle beauty of this area. We took Kingston 1000 Island Cruises Sunset Dinner Cruise www.1000islandscruises.on.ca (top), which turned out to be an ideal, relaxing way to appreciate some of the islands that make up the St. Lawrence Islands National Park (next).

Dinner was excellent and we enjoyed a panoramic view under the glass canopy (next) as we cruised past Wolfe Island with its newly-built, futuristic wind farm of 86 turbines, capable of powering 75,000 households. After coffee, we strolled along the upper deck to admire the sunset (bottom) and wondered why we hadn’t spent more time in this historic and attractive region.

Our grateful thanks to Bryan J. Mercer, Director at Fort Henry, for his generous hospitality on this trip.