Stairway to Heaven
Led Zeppelin notwithstanding, this stairway has quite a story to tell. The photo is taken at Fort Anne, Canada’s oldest national historic site. It is located in Annapolis Royal where I spend my summers.
This fort, built in 1629, was a typical star-shaped military fort but with one major difference. The ramparts were not made of wood or stone but instead are earthern berms. This design had been used in a few places in Europe, and it worked remarkably well at this site in Nova Scotia where attack generally came from the sea. The earthern ramparts were built up to enclose underground bunkers and were never breached during a series of wars among Scots, English, French, Spanish and Indian combatants. Soldiers scaled the ramparts using wooden ladders and stairways like this one.
The challenge today is mowing those sodded berms. It’s quite a sight to see the power lawn mowers being lowered and raised over the steep grassy slopes on ropes and pulleys. One assumes that in the early days, the inhabitants were quite happy with mud walls. I personally love the way the nasty business of war has been recycled into this lush green landscape where we walk our dogs, read books and contemplate the sun setting over the bay.
Stairway to Heaven
Led Zeppelin notwithstanding, this stairway has quite a story to tell. The photo is taken at Fort Anne, Canada’s oldest national historic site. It is located in Annapolis Royal where I spend my summers.
This fort, built in 1629, was a typical star-shaped military fort but with one major difference. The ramparts were not made of wood or stone but instead are earthern berms. This design had been used in a few places in Europe, and it worked remarkably well at this site in Nova Scotia where attack generally came from the sea. The earthern ramparts were built up to enclose underground bunkers and were never breached during a series of wars among Scots, English, French, Spanish and Indian combatants. Soldiers scaled the ramparts using wooden ladders and stairways like this one.
The challenge today is mowing those sodded berms. It’s quite a sight to see the power lawn mowers being lowered and raised over the steep grassy slopes on ropes and pulleys. One assumes that in the early days, the inhabitants were quite happy with mud walls. I personally love the way the nasty business of war has been recycled into this lush green landscape where we walk our dogs, read books and contemplate the sun setting over the bay.