Signal Hill National Historic Park, St John's

Signal Hill, the steep cliffs of which make up the north side of the harbor entrance in St John's, was the scene of the final engagement of the Seven Years' War between Britain and France. During the annual Military Tattoo, held here the battle is commemorated by the sounding of the last post.

Despite its strategic position Signal Hill remained unfortified following the Seven Years' War until the present defenses were built during the hostilities of 1812.

Picture - The Cabot Tower on a hill top outside of St John's.

Picture - The view from St John's Battery.

View a slideshow of Signal Hill National Historic Park Pictures

The hill traditionally served as a marine look-out however, which is how it acquired its name.

The thump of cannon can still be heard each midday, echoing round the Signal Hill National Historic Park. The Park is one of the largest of its kind in Canada and, being situated 152 m (500 ft) above the sea, affords superb views day and night over the city, the harbor and the adjacent coast.

Signal Hill is also what many visitors consider a "must see" attraction in St John's. It covers a large area and, depending on how much you want to take in, there can be a fair bit of walking involved.

Official site: www.pc.gc.ca/lhn-nhs/nl/signalhill/index_e.asp

Address: Box 1268, St John's, NF A1C5M9, Canada

Opening hours: May 15 to Oct 15: 10am-6pm
Oct 16 to May 14: 8:30am-4:30pm; Closed: Sun, Sat

Always closed on: New Year's Day (Jan 1), Christmas - Christian (Dec 25), Day after Christmas, St Stephen's Day, Boxing Day (Dec 26)

Entrance fee in CAD: Family $9.80, Adult $3.90, Senior over 64 $3.40, Child 16 & under $1.90, Child 5 & under FREE

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Related Attractions

Cabot Tower

Cabot Tower was built in 1897 to mark the four hundredth anniversary of the discovery of Newfoundland. It also now commemorates Guglielmo Marconi's reception here in 1901 of the first transatlantic radio telegraphy signal, transmitted over a distance of 2700 km (1700 mi.) from Poldhu in England. In the tower are exhibitions on the history of Signal Hill and the history of communications (with a special section on Marconi). From the top there is a panoramic view of the city and the coast as far as Cape Spear - the most easterly point of North America.