Sir Humphrey Gilbert ship plaques

Inscription

SIR HUMPHREY GILBERT ca. 1537-1583

A native of Devon and half-brother of Walter Raleigh, Humphrey Gilbert was one of the first Englishmen to propose the establishment of colonies in North America. In 1583 as leader of an expedition to seek a likely place for a settlement, he spent two weeks in this vicinity, claiming the surrounding territory for Queen Elizabeth I, asserting his authority over the fishermen in the harbour and exploring the countryside. He left with plans to establish a colony here the following season but on the homeward voyage his small vessel foundered in mid-Atlantic and he was drowned.

Explorateur né dans le Devon et demi-frère de Walter Raleigh, Humphrey Gilbert fut un des premiers à proposer une colonisation anglaise en Amérique du Nord. En 1583, il dirigea une expédition chargée de trouver un site propice, il passa deux semaines dans la région, prit possession de Terre-Neuve au nom de la reine Élisabeth, imposa son autorité aux pêcheurs du port et explora les environs. Il repartit avec un plan de colonisation pour la saison suivante, mais au cours du voyage de retour, son petit navire échoua, et il se noya.

Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada. Commission des lieux et monuments historiques du Canada.

Government of Canada - Gouvernement du Canada

Harbourside Park to Kent's Pond Link (South Section).

Length: 1.7 km (1.1 miles). Time: Stroll - 20 minutes, Brisk - 15 minutes. Grade: Gentle to steep.

This Walk links Harbourside Park to Kent's Pond, interpreting some of the sites you will see along the way.

Begin this Walk at Harbourside Park, where Sir Humphrey Gilbert landed more than 500 years ago to claim Newfoundland for the British Crown. Pass through a one-time industrial area in pre-Confederation times. See some of the City's notable homes as you walk along one of the oldest routes leading out of St. John's.

Features - 1 Harbourside Park. 2 Provincial War Memorial. 3 Former Imperial Tobacco Company. 4 Augustus Goodridge Residence. 5 Sir Richard Squires Residence. 6 Home of Margaret Duley. 7 Portugal Cove Road. 8 Winter Avenue. J Colonial Building.

Symbols - Harbourside Park to Kent's Pond Link (South section). Other Grand Concourse Walks. Direction of View. J Junction. P Parking. h Little Rest or Bench.

Information - Parking: Harbourside Park, Water Street (metered), Duckworth Street (metered), Bannerman Park. Surface: Concrete sidewalk. Highlights: Harbourside Park, Historic industrial sites, Historic residences, Scenic streets. Bus Stops: Water Street, Military Road, Elizabeth Avenue. Food/Drink: Convenience stores and Restaurants on Duckworth Street, King's Road, Military Road, and Portugal Cove Road. Rest Rooms: Service station on Portugal Cove Road.

Harbourside Park to Kent's Pond Link (South Section) - What you will see and enjoy !

Start this Walk at Harbourside Park 1 and ascend the steps beside the War Memorial 2. Cross Duckworth Street to King's Road, which is one of many military roads built in and around St. John's after the Seven Years' War (1756-1763). It was the first, reasonably good road to run north from the Harbour. Further ahead, the entire block north of Bond Street, from King's Road west to Flavin Street, was once an industrial area. At the corner of Bond Street and King's Road, look left to see the premises of A. L. Lily Company Ltd. This building, and the condominium complex behind, were the former Imperial Tobacco Company factory 3, where cigarettes, cigars, and plug tobacco were manufactured before Confederation. Before that, from the 1860s, the building was the site of Terra Nova Bakery, one of the largest in the City. Cross Bond Street, which was constructed after the fire of 1892. On the east side of King's Road, just before Military Road, is the site of Victoria Rink, where Newfoundland's first organized hockey was played in the 1890s. Proceed to the lights and continue to Rennies Mill Road, past the former houses of Prime Ministers Augustus Goodridge (#4 Park Place) 4 and Sir Richard Squires (#44) 5, and novelist Margaret Duley (#51) 6. Follow the Walk as the street name changes to Portugal Cove Road 7. This road originated as a footpath and became the first overland connection between the capital and Conception Bay. In the 1770s this path was known as Johnny's Pinch, probably after one of the Governors of that period (a pinch is a steep laneway). Further ahead is Winter Avenue 8, one of the older and more stately streets in the City. Watch for another Storyboard for this Walk's continuation.

Where Margaret Duley lived. South of Winter Avenue.

Grand Concourse — The Walker's Paradise. Johnson Family Foundation — Research, Design, and Installation.

THE SHIPS OF SIR HUMPHREY GILBERT

ON JUNE 11, 1583 SIR HUMPHREY GILBERT, WITH A FLEET OF FIVE SHIPS, SAILED FROM PLYMOUTH, ENGLAND TO CLAIM THE "NEW FOUND LAND".

SQUIRREL 10 TONS SWALLOW 40 TONS GOLDEN HIND 40 TONS DELIGHT 120 TONS RALEIGH 200 TONS

THE RALEIGH TURNED BACK AFTER TWO DAYS BECAUSE OF AN INFECTIOUS DISEASE ON BOARD, BUT THE OTHERS CONTINUED AND ARRIVED IN ST. JOHN'S HARBOUR ON AUGUST 4, 1583.

NEAR THIS SITE ON AUGUST 5, 1583, SIR HUMPHREY GILBERT ASSEMBLED ALL PRESENT AND FORMALLY PROCLAIMED THE "NEW FOUND LAND" AS TERRITORY APPERTAINING TO THE QUEEN OF ENGLAND, NEWFOUNDLAND THUS BECAME THE FIRST BRITISH POSSESSION AND CORNERSTONE OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE.

THE TINY FLEET ENCOUNTERED A STORM WHILE RETURNING TO ENGLAND IN WHICH THE SQUIRREL, WITH SIR HUMPHREY GILBERT ON BOARD, THE DELIGHT AND THE SWALLOW WERE LOST.

THIS IS A 400TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS PROJECT, FUNDED BY THE GOVERNMENT OF NEWFOUNDLAND, DEPARTMENT OF CULTURE, RECREATION AND YOUTH AND MOBIL OIL CANADA LTD.

Mobil

MATTHEW

A THREE MASTED "CARAVEL" WITH A DISPLACEMENT OF 50-60 TONS, JOHN CABOT SAILED FROM ENGLAND IN THIS VESSEL AND DISCOVERED THE "NEW FOUND LAND" ON THE FEAST OF ST. JOHN, JUNE 24, 1497.

THE CITY OF ST. JOHN'S WAS NAMED FOR THIS SAINT AND HONORS THE MATTHEW ON ITS COAT OF ARMS.

CITY OF ST. JOHN'S

BOWRING'S TERRA NOVA

764 TON WHALER BUILT IN DUNDEE IN 1884 THE THREE-MASTED BARQUE CARRIED SCOTT TO THE ANTARCTIC

BOWRING BROTHERS LIMITED

S.S. NEPTUNE

BUILT DUNDEE, SCOTLAND 1872 SANK OFF ST. JOHN'S 1943 BROUGHT IN 1¼ MILLION SEALS HELD RECORD OF 42,000 FOR ONE TRIP FOR MANY YEARS.

OWNED AND OPERATED BY JOB BROTHERS & COMPANY LIMITED

S. S. BONAVENTURE

BUILT IN 1908 IN GLASGOW FOR A. HARVEY AND COMPANY. SERVED IN THE SEAL FISHERY FROM 1909 TO 1915 AND WAS ONE OF THE THREE BEST ICE-BREAKERS IN THE WORLD AT THAT TIME.

IN 1915 THE "BONAVENTURE" RESCUED 35 SEALERS AND RETURNED TO ST. JOHN'S WITH 75 BODIES FROM THE FAMOUS "NEWFOUNDLAND" SEALING DISASTER.

SOLD TO RUSSIA IN 1916, RENAMED "RUSSAVOV" AND CONTINUED IN SERVICE UNTIL 1957.

A. HARVEY & COMPANY LIMITED

S.S. NORTHERN RANGER

BUILT FOR THE NEWFOUNDLAND RAILWAY BY FLEMING & FERGUSON, PAISLEY, SCOTLAND, 1936. OPERATED FOR 30 YEARS IN FREIGHT AND PASSENGER SERVICE BETWEEN ST. JOHN'S AND CORNER BROOK, VIA NORTHEAST COAST AND SOUTHERN LABRADOR.

OVERALL LENGTH 228 FEET GROSS TONNAGE 1366

CN Marine

CANADIAN COAST GUARD SHIP SIR HUMPHREY GILBERT

BUILT FOR THE CANADIAN COAST GUARD IN 1959 BY DAVIE SHIPBUILDING LTD, LAUZON, P.Q. THE SHIP WAS THEN ASSIGNED TO THE NEWFOUNDLAND REGION TO PROVIDE SERVICING OF FIXED AND FLOATING AIDS TO NAVIGATION, ICEBREAKER SUPPORT, AND SEARCH AND RESCUE IN BOTH NEWFOUNDLAND AND ARCTIC WATERS.

400TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS PROJECT, FUNDED BY THE GOVERNMENT OF CANADA, DEPARTMENT OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE.

Commemorates 1497–1966