Brock's Monument
Queenston, Ontario | |
Designer | William Thomas |
---|---|
Material | limestone |
Height | 56 m (184 ft) |
Beginning date | 1853 |
Completion date | 1856 |
Opening date | 1859 |
Dedicated to | Sir Isaac Brock |
Brock's Monument is a 56-metre (185 ft) column atop
History
Brock died by gunshot wound to the chest on the morning of October 13, 1812, leading a charge of
Brock and his aide were initially buried in the north-east corner of Fort George in nearby Niagara-on-the-Lake. This corner has come to be known as Brock's Bastion and is immortalized as such by a small stone bearing that inscription. A campaign began among prominent Upper Canadians to honour Brock, whose dramatic death provided a rallying point during and after the war as a symbol of Canadian independence from the United States. This led to the erection of the first Brock's Monument, a 135-foot (41.1m) Tuscan column with a viewing platform at the top. Construction began in 1823, and the monument was inaugurated October 13, 1824.[2]
During its construction, William Lyon Mackenzie suggested that a capsule be sealed within the monument containing an inscription written by Mackenzie, coins, a copy of the Upper Canada Gazette and the first issue of the Colonial Advocate. The Upper Canada Lieutenant-Governor Peregrine Maitland ordered its removal because he did not want to include a newspaper critical of the government in the monument.[3]
On April 17, 1840, an explosive charge did serious and irreparable damage to the monument although it failed to bring it down. The attack was presumed to have been orchestrated by
Replacement
A campaign to rebuild the monument began almost immediately. In 1852,
On the re-interment, two oval plates were attached to Brock's coffin. They read:
Here lie the earthly remains of a brave and virtuous hero, /
Major-General Sir Isaac Brock, /
Commander of the British forces, / and President Administering / the Government of Upper Canada, /
Who fell when gloriously engaging the Enemies / of his Country, /
at the head of the Flank Companies / of the 49th Regiment, /
in the Town of Queenstown, / on the morning of the 13th October, 1812, /
aged 42 years.
J.B. Glegg, A.D.C.[8]
A 1929 lightning strike severely damaged Brock's statue, sending large portions crashing to the ground below.
In August 2003 the Friends of Fort George and Parks Canada held a ceremony to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the monument's groundbreaking. Engineering inspections carried out in 2003 and 2004 revealed the need for significant restorative work to the structure's interior and exterior limestone. Parks Canada closed the monument to the public in 2005 pending repairs. An extensive restoration on the monument began in 2008 and was completed in May 2009. Improvements included relining the interior walls to protect against condensation as well as battery-powered interior emergency lights to assist with exiting the monument should there be a power loss.
Features
The main entrance is flanked by two large
A 235-step spiral staircase up the column leads visitors to a small indoor platform underneath Brock's statue. Porthole windows provide views of the surrounding Niagara region and Lake Ontario.
The monument, illuminated at night, marks the end of an interpretive historical walking trail that leads down and then up Queenston Heights, recounting key events in the battle.
There is also a small monument to Tecumseh between the monument and the look out. This monument is approximately 3 feet tall, and is composed of twigs, twine and dyed dollar store feathers. It has a placard made of paper protected by a report cover, and has been maintained for years, however, not by Parks Niagara, Parks Ontario, or Parks Canada, but by some caring civilians.
See also
References
- Wolfe-Montcalm Monumentin Québec City (1827), and the Glengarry Cairn in Lancaster (1843).
- ^ Remembering Brock by W. R. Wilson, 2003
- ISBN 978-0-9696418-0-3.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: date and year (link - ^ Malcomson, Robert (2003). A Very Brilliant Affair: The Battle of Queenston Heights, 1812. p. 216.
- ^ St-Denis, Guy (2005). Tecumseh's Bones. p. 14.
- ^ Jim Leonard, Charles Thomas: A Stonemason's Legacy Restored, SSAC Bulletin, Vol. 14, No 3, December 1989, Society for the Study of Architecture in Canada (SSAC).
- ISBN 9781896941332.
- ^ Nursey, Walter R. (1923). The Story of Isaac Brock (General Sir Isaac Brock, K.B.): Hero, Defender and Saviour of Upper Canada 1812. p. 217.