On Tuesday, 10th August, I arrived in St. John’s, Newfoundland to spend time with family and friends and to go out exploring my home city as a visitor might; walking the downtown core, taking a whale-watching boat tour, and exploring the colour and style and architecture that the city has to offer.
In much of the downtown core, the houses and buildings that stem up from the harbour, are bright and colourful, and it has long been part of the St. John’s charm.
© J. Lynn Stapleton, 14th August 2010
© J. Lynn Stapleton, 14th August 2010
© J. Lynn Stapleton, 14th August 2010
The LSPU Hall, formerly the Longshoreman’s Protective Union building, has been one of the centres of St. John’s, NL’s artistic and theatric communities. A thirty-year old artist-run community serves, protecting and promoting the artists, musicians and others in the diverse arts community.
© J. Lynn Stapleton, 14th August 2010
These brightly coloured houses are also featured in the old battery, which lines the east end of the St. John’s Harbour of Signal Hill.
© J. Lynn Stapleton, 14th August 2010
© J. Lynn Stapleton, 14th August 2010.
The architecture of the city is a combination of old-world charm meets modern developments. Many houses of the city bear Victorian design,from residential housing and government and provincial buildings and churches. The Spirit of Newfoundland building below is probably most easily remembered by locals as the old Masonic Temple.
The Basilica of St. John the Baptist. © J. Lynn Stapleton, 14th August 2010.
Anglican Cathedral. © J. Lynn Stapleton, 14th August 2010.
Newfoundland Supreme Court. © J. Lynn Stapleton, 14th August 2010.
Newfoundland Supreme Court. © J. Lynn Stapleton, 14th August 2010.
Spirit of Newfoundland. © J. Lynn Stapleton, 14th August 2010.
St. John’s has one of the world’s naturally protected harbours, made up of Signal Hill to the east, and Southside Hills, leading out to Fort Amherst on the west entrance. It’s a narrow harbour and ships must line up with two lights on Pilot’s Hill to navigate through.
Buoy in St. John’s Harbour. © J. Lynn Stapleton, 13th August 2010.
Iceberg Quest tour boat. © J. Lynn Stapleton, 13th August 2010.
On the way out of the harbour, ships will pass Fort Amherst. Built in the 1770s, it was used as a defense of the harbour.
© J. Lynn Stapleton, 13th August 2010
© J. Lynn Stapleton, 13th August 2010
Though I lived in the city for twenty-one years, I never thought of going out on a whale-watching ship tour of the North Atlantic. We went out as far as Cape Spear, the most easterly point of North America. Cape Spear National Historic Park features the oldest surviving lighthouse in Canada.
© J. Lynn Stapleton, 13th August 2010
Whale-Watching
© J. Lynn Stapleton, 13th August 2010
© J. Lynn Stapleton, 13th August 2010
© J. Lynn Stapleton, 13th August 2010
This has only been the first week in and I’m certain more photography days will come.
J L Stapleton Photography: A Landscape of Dreams 