Fort Amherst is a small community at the south side of The Narrows opposite Signal Hill. The place is named after William Amherst, commander of the victorious British troops at the Battle of Signal Hill in 1762.

 

To protect St Johns against unfriendly French and international pirates, defensive batteries with heavy guns were erected at the tip of the Narrows.

Bunkers and better guns were added over the following two centuries and remained in operation until the end of WW II.

 

The facilities were finally decommissioned in 1946 and since then Mother Nature works hard to slowly but surely erode the guns, barracks and concrete.

 

In 1813 Newfoundland's first lighthouse was constructed right above the battery. It was torn down in 1954 and replaced by a wooden lighthouse, including a fog horn.

 

In early summer this is a favorite spot to watch icebergs and  spouting whales.

 

We were here on a nice day in September 2017.