SYDNEY HARBOUR FORTIFICATIONS RESTORATION PROJECT
Shaping Perceptions, Making Connections
More than two centuries of activity in and around Sydney harbour came to a head during the two world wars, when Sydney became a major convoy port in the merchant-ship lifeline that sustained Britain with supplies from North America. Essential to the air and naval forces that pursued German submarines in the waters off the coast of Canada, Sydney was also an important industrial centre that produced enormous quantities of critically important coal and steel. All these activities were essential to the war effort.
After decades of neglect that lead to structural decay and serious safety hazards, The Sydney Harbour Fortifications Restoration Project was launched to prevent the demolition and preserve the remnants of a once formidable defence network. The objectives of this multi-million-dollar integrated initiative was to create job opportunities in construction and tourism, bolster the local economy, and enhance the area's historical and cultural awareness. For additional information, please select:
Project Origin-The Passion-The Inspiration and
Timeline – The Events that Lead to Its Creation and Beyond.
- Over $2,000,000 raised for the preservation of the Sydney Harbour Fortifications.
- The founding of two non-for-profit organizations The Sydney Harbour Fortifications Society (SHFS), and the Chapel Point Society (CPS).
- Demolition moratorium and injunction on Fort Petrie demolition granted by The Department of National Defence and The Supreme Court of Nova Scotia.
- Fort Petrie is designated as a Municipal Heritage Property by the County of Cape Breton, and as a national historic site by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada (given the National Atlantic Bulwark Plaque).
- Fort Petrie is refurbished and developed into a military museum, and the Chapel Point Battery Observation Tower is restored.
- Over a 100-print media and broadcasts produced (i.e. Cape Breton Post, Chronical Herald, CBC, and more. For additional information please select: Media Coverage 1989 and Media Coverage 1990
- Employment opportunities in construction and tourism are created, and local business spin-off revenues are generated.
- An historical publication Guardian of the Gulf: Sydney Cape Breton and the Atlantic Wars, by Dr. Brian Tennyson and Dr. Roger Sarty, is published. This is the only publication in existence that details the history of Sydney Harbour from the Fortress of Louisbourg to the World War Two Fortifications.