The Battery

Brightly painted wooden houses cling to the rocky slope below Signal Hill, and some of them seem to hang over the water. The Battery is a small neighbourhood on the north side of the Narrows, the channel that connects St. John's harbour to the Atlantic, and it is among the most photographed places in Newfoundland and Labrador. Its name comes from the gun batteries that once guarded the harbour entrance, and for generations it has been home to fishing families whose boats worked from the coves below.

The settlement grew in the 18th and 19th centuries as a working community. Fishermen needed to be close to their boats, stages and flakes, the wooden structures used for landing and drying cod, so they built houses on any ledge they could find, linked by narrow lanes and steep steps. There was little planning, and the houses face every direction, tilted on rock and propped on stilts. Over time, the practice of painting houses in strong colours took hold, supposedly so that fishermen could pick out their own homes from the sea, and the result is the vivid mix of reds, blues, yellows and greens that gives the Battery its look.

The area has military history as well. The headlands around the entrance to the harbour were fortified from the 17th century, and gun positions and forts, among them Fort Waldegrave and Fort Amherst on the opposite shore, guarded the Narrows. A heavy chain was once stretched across the channel from Chain Rock to the Fort Amherst side to stop enemy ships from entering. Gun emplacements were also used in the two World Wars of the 20th century, when convoys gathered at St. John's.

Today the Battery is a living neighbourhood, so visitors should be respectful of residents, stay on the public paths and avoid peering into windows. The walk from downtown is a short climb. It starts along Water Street and continues toward Signal Hill, with lanes and stairs leading up into the neighbourhood. The terrain is steep and uneven, so wear sturdy shoes. Views across the Narrows to Signal Hill and out to sea are superb, particularly in the early morning, when the light picks out the colours of the houses, and icebergs and whales may appear in spring and early summer.

The Battery is free to visit and open at all times. It suits photographers, walkers and anyone interested in Newfoundland's fishing heritage, and it combines well with a visit to Signal Hill.