Fort Denison
Formerly Pinchgut Island
Sydney Harbour
1841: 1855-57 George barney (RE)
One of the last Martello Towers to be built in the world, following their proliferation in southern England after the design's defensive capabilities had been proven at Cap Mortella, Corsica, in 1794.
The tower was built to defend Sydney against a possible attack by Russian warships, which never eventuated. Built from 8,000 tonnes of sandstone quarried near Kurraba Point, Neutral Bay, it was named after Sir William Denison, then Governor of New South Wales. By the time the fort was completed, it was redundant.
The tower's gunroom still has three 8-inch muzzle-loading cannons positioned before the stonework was completed in 1857. Due to the narrow passages leading to the gun room, the cannons cannot be removed without dismantling the stone work. The tower is serviced by supply rooms and ordnance stores.
When a Japanese submarine entered the harbour in May 1942 (passing through the anti-submarine nets) it was fired upon by the American cruiser USS Chicago. A secondary salvo hit the Martello tower, causing minor, but still visible damage.
Information appearing in this section is reproduced from Sydney Architecture, with the kind permission of the author, Graham Jahn, Sydney architect and former City of Sydney Councillor.
