Duncan's Cove, Nova Scotia
Encyclopedia
Duncan's Cove is a small rural
community on the Chebucto Peninsula
in the Halifax Regional Municipality on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean
on the Ketch Harbour Road (Route 349
), 19 kilometers from Halifax
. The community is located beside Chebucto Head, the prominent coastal headland.
at the Battle of Camperdown
.
Overlooking the entrance to Halifax Harbour
made it a strategic part of Halifax's defense system in the 18th century. The Camperdown Signal Station, was built a few miles northward next to nearby Portuguese Cove
in 1797, the first of a series of signal stations built by Prince Edward, Duke of Kent
. It later became a wireless station and was operational until 1925.
In World War Two, the area around Chebucto Head, including Duncan's Cove, became a fortified coastal battery armed with three Elswick 6 inch naval gun
s. For these cannon, a four-story concrete director tower was built near the eastern shore of Duncan's Cove with a long-range optical rangefinder installed on the top floor. By 1943, this range-finding apparatus had been supplanted by the latest radar artillery control unit. The battery complex was decommissioned in the 1950s but many bunkers remain, some converted into private residences.
After the Second World War two families of musicians who played with the Atlantic Symphony Orchestra
moved to Duncan's Cove. One of those families embarked upon a decades-long construction project of unconventionally shaped timber-framed dwellings, and even had a small private airstrip. By the late 1960s, fishing from the cove had dwindled and the community become known as an artists colony, with many symphony players, visual artists and theatrical actors residing there. The landmark gunnery director tower stood derelict for many years, until finally passing into private hands in the 1990s. The building is virtually unrecognizable today, having been radically converted into a luxury residence.
The first of several lighthouses was built at Chebucto Head in 1872 with a steam foghorn just below it. The lighthouse was moved in 1940 several hundred metres to the north to make way for the gun battery. The lighthouse included a launch ramp for a lifeboat, as well as an old naval carronade
for firing blank charges as a crude foghorn. Some ruins of the original lighthouse can be seen to this day (2008)
The present lighthouse, a concrete tower, was built in 1967 and is situated high atop a bluff. The lighthouse was automated in the 1990s, and a massive array of electronic foghorns erected. The light-keepers house was left vacant for several years, then rented, and then vacant once more. It was burned by vandals in 2004.
There is an area of pavement around the base of the lighthouse tower which today serves as a parking lot, popular with sightseers. This parking lot is a whale-watching location during January and February, when pods of fin whales feed in the area before migrating elsewhere.
Rural
Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...
community on the Chebucto Peninsula
Chebucto Peninsula
The Chebucto Peninsula is a Canadian peninsula located in central Nova Scotia entirely within the Halifax Regional Municipality on the Atlantic coast....
in the Halifax Regional Municipality on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
on the Ketch Harbour Road (Route 349
Nova Scotia Route 349
Route 349 is collector road in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.It is located in the Halifax Regional Municipality and connects Armdale at the Armdale Traffic Circle with Sambro at Route 306 ....
), 19 kilometers from Halifax
City of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
. The community is located beside Chebucto Head, the prominent coastal headland.
History
Duncan's Cove began as a small fishing community. The first recorded settler in Duncan's Cove was Simon Duntoyn in 1752. Other families followed including the Crab, Full, Leonard and McNab families. John McNab was granted 50 acres (202,343 m²) in 1859. The cove was named after Admiral Adam Duncan, 1st Viscount Duncan who defeated the DutchNetherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
at the Battle of Camperdown
Battle of Camperdown
The Battle of Camperdown was a major naval action fought on 11 October 1797 between a Royal Navy fleet under Admiral Adam Duncan and a Dutch Navy fleet under Vice-Admiral Jan de Winter...
.
Overlooking the entrance to Halifax Harbour
Halifax Harbour
Halifax Harbour is a large natural harbour on the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia, Canada, located in the Halifax Regional Municipality.-Harbour description:The harbour is called Jipugtug by the Mi'kmaq first nation, anglisized as Chebucto...
made it a strategic part of Halifax's defense system in the 18th century. The Camperdown Signal Station, was built a few miles northward next to nearby Portuguese Cove
Portuguese Cove, Nova Scotia
Portuguese Cove is a rural community in the Halifax Regional Municipality , Nova Scotia on Route 349 on the Chebucto Peninsula .-History:The name comes from the Portuguese fishermen who for many years sailed in the summer months fishing in the 18th century.-References:**...
in 1797, the first of a series of signal stations built by Prince Edward, Duke of Kent
Prince Edward Augustus, Duke of Kent and Strathearn
The Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn was a member of the British Royal Family, the fourth son of King George III and the father of Queen Victoria...
. It later became a wireless station and was operational until 1925.
In World War Two, the area around Chebucto Head, including Duncan's Cove, became a fortified coastal battery armed with three Elswick 6 inch naval gun
Elswick 6 inch naval gun
The QF 6 inch 40 calibre naval gun was used by many United Kingdom-built warships around the end of the 19th century and start of the 20th century.In UK service it was known as the QF 6 inch Mk I, II, III guns....
s. For these cannon, a four-story concrete director tower was built near the eastern shore of Duncan's Cove with a long-range optical rangefinder installed on the top floor. By 1943, this range-finding apparatus had been supplanted by the latest radar artillery control unit. The battery complex was decommissioned in the 1950s but many bunkers remain, some converted into private residences.
After the Second World War two families of musicians who played with the Atlantic Symphony Orchestra
Atlantic Symphony Orchestra
Atlantic Symphony Orchestra was a professional Canadian symphony orchestra in Atlantic Canada that was active during the second half the 20th century. It has the distinction of being the only full-time regional professional orchestra in Canadian history. The orchestra was formed shortly after the...
moved to Duncan's Cove. One of those families embarked upon a decades-long construction project of unconventionally shaped timber-framed dwellings, and even had a small private airstrip. By the late 1960s, fishing from the cove had dwindled and the community become known as an artists colony, with many symphony players, visual artists and theatrical actors residing there. The landmark gunnery director tower stood derelict for many years, until finally passing into private hands in the 1990s. The building is virtually unrecognizable today, having been radically converted into a luxury residence.
Communications
- Telephone exchangeTelephone exchangeIn the field of telecommunications, a telephone exchange or telephone switch is a system of electronic components that connects telephone calls...
902Area code 902Area code 902 is the telephone area code in the Canadian provinces of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, encompassing both provinces. The 902 area code was established in 1947 for all three Maritime provinces, with Newfoundland added shortly after it joined Canada; New Brunswick, along with...
- 868 - First three digits of postal codeCanadian postal codeA Canadian postal code is a six-character string that forms part of a postal address in Canada. Like British and Dutch postcodes, Canada's postal codes are alphanumeric. They are in the format A0A 0A0, where A is a letter and 0 is a digit, with a space separating the third and fourth characters...
- B3V
Lighthouse
- Chebucto Head Lighthouse
The first of several lighthouses was built at Chebucto Head in 1872 with a steam foghorn just below it. The lighthouse was moved in 1940 several hundred metres to the north to make way for the gun battery. The lighthouse included a launch ramp for a lifeboat, as well as an old naval carronade
Carronade
The carronade was a short smoothbore, cast iron cannon, developed for the Royal Navy by the Carron Company, an ironworks in Falkirk, Scotland, UK. It was used from the 1770s to the 1850s. Its main function was to serve as a powerful, short-range anti-ship and anti-crew weapon...
for firing blank charges as a crude foghorn. Some ruins of the original lighthouse can be seen to this day (2008)
The present lighthouse, a concrete tower, was built in 1967 and is situated high atop a bluff. The lighthouse was automated in the 1990s, and a massive array of electronic foghorns erected. The light-keepers house was left vacant for several years, then rented, and then vacant once more. It was burned by vandals in 2004.
There is an area of pavement around the base of the lighthouse tower which today serves as a parking lot, popular with sightseers. This parking lot is a whale-watching location during January and February, when pods of fin whales feed in the area before migrating elsewhere.