Friday 19 November 2010

Sydney Open - Fort Phillip Signal Station/Sky Watch Friday

Fort Phillip, built in 1804 under the direction of Governor King, was intended as a strategic stronghold but was never finished. In 1848 the Signal Station, a sandstone building designed by the office of the Colonial Architect, Mortimer Lewis, was built above the wall of the fort. In 2008, excavations of the grounds of the Signal Station uncovered the remains of Fort Phillip. You can see these archaeological remains and the footings of a bomb shelter used for storage and retreat. Inside the Signal Station is a small display of artefacts from the site, which give rise to questions about the use of the fort and the presence of the French in the colony. If you are in the vicinity at 1pm look out for the dropping of the historic 1858 timeball on top of Sydney Observatory and listen for the responding cannon fire from Fort Denison.

Note the fake window above the sink.

For more Sky Watch from around the world, drop in to the home of Sky Watch Friday.

3 comments:

Jim said...

It's good to see another signal mast with the signal flags on it, especially now that I understand its purpose. :)

Unknown said...

All those flags against the blue and white sky makes for an interesting shot!

Ciao,
Gina
http://thepagansphinx.blogspot.com/2010/11/sky-watch-friday.html

Lesley said...

That is a very impressive looking mast!