Drawn by the water reflection, I took this photo last year from the docks of Confederation Basin Marina in downtown Kingston. I have since learned that this is a Martello tower, one of four built along the St Lawrence River, to defend Kingston and the entrance to the Rideau Canal leading to the capital city (Ottawa). Back in 1847 there were still border tensions. Martellos were small armed forts built by the British to defend their interests around the world. Pointed roofs were not typical but were added to Canadian towers for snow protection.
Limestone construction is a common sight in Kingston, a city steeped in history. Needless to say, Shoal Tower is a National Historic Site.
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of another time
cannon house remains
a haunting presence
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life flows on
in presence of the past
reflections
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Ontheland 
Thank you for this piece of history.
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Glad you enjoyed it.
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I only came across a martello once, in Ireland. but didn’t get close enough for a good photo. The locals told me they were built in defense of Napoleon. Obviously it worked, because he never landed there! 😉
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Great story! Thanks for dropping by 🙂
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Thank you. 🙂
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Beautiful haiku connecting to the image. There would be one for Ronovan’s challenge in this image too?
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A very cool subject – excellent choice for the week!
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I didn’t know Canada had Martello towers, too. James Joyce lived in one in Dublin for a little while, and the start of Ulysses is set there. (The only bit of Ulysses I’ve managed to read, I’m sorry to say…)
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A tower would be an interesting place to live in especially with the usual flat roof as a sky viewing area. Unfortunately the one in my photo is opened for viewing only one day each year.
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Ah, Ulysses, now that was a tough read for me. I had to keep going back and rereading sections.
I did read some of his other work and really enjoyed it. I love the way he just keeps going with no punctuation. :o)
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Thank you for the history. Lovely photo–I love water reflections, too.
Your haiku are perfect!
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Thank you 🙂
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Beautiful view. I like the fact about the pointed roof. Not many flat roofs in my area due to snow.
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Never really thought about the slope of roofs before…flat is rare around here too. Apparently the Martello tower snow roofs were removable as that was where their cannon was placed.
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Yur haiku fir the tower well. I’m pretty sure I’ve been inside the building. I was in Kingston a couple of times in the mid-80s for dive charters, and then again while vacationing at a cottage in Cape Vincent, NY, in 2004. I have a photo of the tower taken with my first digital camera.
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**Your Haiku!
And, there is a second tower across the harbor in my photo.
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:)) perhaps the second one is at Fort Henry or another one to the west…there are actually four …haven’t done the tourist thing since I moved out here, but will probably check everything out over time.
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A familiar sight then 🙂 A benign presence without soldiers and live ammunition.
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Loved your second poem, Janice. It triggered a reflection of how I felt viewing the historic building in Ottawa. 🙂
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Love the little introduction and thought the poem(s) were, are truly mesmerizing.
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Thank you. Glad they captured your interest 🙂
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It is amazing to me how things were built centuries ago and are still standing. Goes to show the workmanship and pride folks had then.
Very interesting post. Thanks for sharing. :o)
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